Codependency
by The Rabid Toenail
Summary: AU (KxK, ev KxH) (Shounen-ai) Hiei is sent to juvie for stealing money from Sakyo in order to pay for Yukina's operation. He falls under the spell of the alluring juvie counselor, Shuuichi. Unfortunately, Shuuichi is happily attached... or is he? (COMPLET
1. Chapter One

**Codependency**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, YYH isn't mine. **

**Summary: Hiei's sister, Yukina, will die if she doesn't have an operation. Their family has no money and no other way of paying for her operation, so Hiei steals money from Sakyo-san in desperation. He is caught and is sentenced to six months in juvenile hall. Hiei immediately falls head-over-heels for his counselor, Shuuichi Minamino. Unfortunately for Hiei, Shuuichi is already happily attached... or _is_ he? Oh, and other crap happens, too.**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Genre: Romance/General (AKA has humor, drama, sadness, and all that other stuff)**

**Chapter One**

Hiei glared at the policemen as he rubbed his wrists. Those handcuffs really chafed! And really, this was just friggin' great. Who was going to take care of Yukina now?

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_..." he growled, banging a fist on the wall. It probably hurt, but he didn't notice.

"All right, sonny, you'd better stop doing that," a fat police man told him, giving him the 'evil eye'.

"...don't call me that," Hiei growled.

"Heh. You'd better just get used to it. You're charged with burglary... and Sakyo-san doesn't appreciate it when people try to steal his money. No, no. I'm afraid you're going to be here for quite a while, _sonny._"

Hiei slid down the wall, dejected. As much as he hated to admit it, Porky over there was right. He was stuck here. Gah... and if he was _lucky_, he'd be sent to juvie for who knows how long... if he was unlucky, though, they'd try him as an adult and he'd be sent to the big house and they would tape him to the wall... or something. Hiei wasn't exactly sure what went on in the big house, but it was bound to be _at least_ as bad as high school.

"Bail is a hundred thousand yen," the police man informed. "I doubt you can pay it; I just want to rub it in your face."

"You're so kind."

"Oh, but they'll tell you all the stuff you need to know at your preliminary arraignment."

"And when is that?"

Porky shrugged.

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Hiei tiredly slid into bed. He'd had his trial. The jury just didn't seem to understand that he was stealing money for his sister, who was on the brink of death because they had no money to pay for an operation she desperately needed. He was doing it for a good reason—they should have at least gone easy on him.

Oh, well. At least they had tried him as a child. Hiei was sixteen, teetering dangerously between adolescent and adult, and he had been worried that he might be bumped up to adult status. That was probably the first time he was glad to be just a little kid.

He had been given six months. Six months wasn't too bad. In fact, it wasn't bad at all. Of course, Yukina would probably be dead in six months... Hiei ground his teeth together, a lone tear rolling down his cheek at the thought. He buried his head in the pillow, biting down on it savagely in order to prevent any more tears—signs of weakness—from issuing forth.

He growled. Life officially sucked. The powerlessness of his situation didn't make him feel any better, either. He'd be the first to admit that stealing wasn't the best idea, but... he hadn't had any other choice. His mother was on welfare and so they barely scraped by—in fact, both children had to work just to be able to pay the rent and buy groceries. His mother had always had failing health and it had taken a turn for the worst when he turned fourteen. She hadn't been able to work in the past two years—in fact, she had scarcely been able to get out of bed on most days.

It wasn't terrible to start with. At least, they managed. However, when Yukina's health began to fail as well... it left Hiei as the sole breadwinner, which was really too much responsibility for any sixteen- year old. He did the best he could, though—he worked long into the night, not getting home until one A.M. on most nights, then dragging himself out of bed at six to do his homework and get ready for school. His grades began slipping—Hiei went from straight A's to C's and D's.

Then the school withdrew his work permit. That was the end of the world for him. That left the three of them to live on his mother's tiny welfare check. He tried working secretly, but the school found out and he was punished severely. They threatened to expel him if he did it again. And that, my friends, was when Hiei decided that the only way he'd be able to pay for Yukina's operation was to steal the money from someone.

He'd had a plan. After hearing a group of loud, annoying teenage girls talking about 'the great Sakyo-san' and his 'many wonderful accessories', one of which being his gargantuan amounts of money, he decided that Sakyo would be the one to get money from. Sakyo would hardly miss the money, he reasoned. Oh, _and_ the guy was an asshole.

Sakyo lived in a large mansion located on the edge of the city. Hiei had it all planned out beforehand. He had picked a time when Sakyo would be gone, and therefore, most of his guards would be gone with him. There had been two at the front door, but Hiei had avoided them easily by jumping on the roof from a nearby tree. He had squeezed through a bathroom window that had been cracked open, and then he was free to take whatever he wanted.

Sakyo, like most people, kept the vast majority of his money in the bank. However, Sakyo was unlike most people in the fact that he usually kept his pocket change, which was quite a bit more than the 3,300,000 yen Hiei needed, lying around on his dresser—or at least that was what Hiei had heard from the people in the bars he had snuck into.

So, Hiei had snuck into Sakyo's room and stolen the money. Easy as pie. However, what he hadn't counted on was that Sakyo would have accidentally left his extra tub of hair gel at home and happen upon Hiei just as he was leaving Sakyo's bedroom, a thick wad of money in his hand.

He and Sakyo had stared at each other—Hiei with the wide, frightened eyes of a child who knows he's doing something he isn't supposed to do, and Sakyo with the glare of a man who likes to keep a hold of his money (unless, of course, it is being exchanged for vodka or sex—then the money is free to go). Hiei, unfortunately, didn't own an alcoholic beverage business, nor was he a wanton slut—and so, Sakyo was very pissed at him for having attempted to steal his money.

And six-and-a-half minutes later, there were blue lights and sirens outside and a scared, handcuffed Hiei inside.

Hiei's thoughts were interrupted by the door banging open loudly. Hiei didn't bother to see who or what it was, too drained to care.

"And then I pummeled him, Urameshi! I beat him into the ground!" came an annoying, stupid-sounding voice that grated terribly on Hiei's nerves.

"_Riiight_... and _that's_ how you ended up with a broken arm and a black eye, is it?"

"Shut up, Urameshi!" the annoying voice yelled; Hiei had the strong urge to beat whoever it was about the head severely with a lamp. "...who's been sleeping in my bed?!"

"Stop yelling, Kuwabara," Urameshi said. Hiei decided that he disliked Urameshi a whole lot less than he disliked Kuwabara.

Kuwabara poked Hiei in the side. "Don't do that," Hiei ground out.

"Get out of my bed, you freak!" Kuwabara screeched, pushing the significantly smaller Hiei off the bed and onto the floor.

Hiei stood slowly, glaring up at Kuwabara with undisguised malice.

"Urameshi! That kid has red eyes!"

"Idiot."

"So, what do you think you're doing in here, shrimp?" Kuwabara asked, looming imperiously over Hiei. Hiei stared at him, unfazed.

"I'm your new roommate."

"Oh, really? What did you do to land yourself in here?"

"...got caught stealing some money..."

"From who? Grandparents? Principal? Long-lost twin uncle?" Urameshi asked.

"...Sakyo."

Urameshi and Kuwabara stared at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing. When they quieted down (a full five minutes later), they turned to Hiei again.

"No, really." Urameshi asked, still grinning like an idiot.

"I'm not lying," Hiei said though gritted teeth.

"Jeez! What are you, suicidal? He's got tons of guards! And attack dogs! And... stuff."

"..." Hiei refused to speak.

"...all right, so you won't tell us anything else. Whatever," Urameshi murmured, running a hand through his gelled hair. "Anyway, I'm Urameshi Yuusuke and this idiot," he indicated Kuwabara, "Is Kuwabara Kazuma."

"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled, beating Yuusuke over the head with a pillow.

"...Jaganshi Hiei," Hiei muttered, casting his gaze around the room.

"...for being named after a mountain, you're quite small," Yuusuke observed.

Hiei glared angrily.

"Don't glare at me like that. It's creepy seeing a twelve-year old wish for your death."

Hiei glared harder, positively seething, "I'm sixteen, dimwit."

"Oh, really? ...wow. You must be a medical miracle or something—I bet the old wrinkled ladies would pay you to have whatever you have that makes you look so young!"

"...you morons aren't worth my time," Hiei growled, and stormed out. He didn't intend on going back to that room until lights out. He wandered around the halls, not caring where he was going. He turned the corners randomly, going wherever his feet took him. He turned left... and was knocked over.

Hiei's eyes widened.

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Shuuichi's day had started off fine—Karasu had surprised him with breakfast in bed, which he thought was awfully nice, although he attributed it to the fact that Karasu had hurt his feelings the day before, but whatever. His classes hadn't been too difficult, as classes went. And, of course, he had work today. He liked his work—he did part-time at juvenile hall, counseling the children. He liked helping people, children especially. If a child was psychologically messed up, there was still a chance that they could be healed. It was much harder when an adult was involved.

So, Shuuichi stepped through the door in high spirits, waving to people as he passed.

"Hello, Koenma!" he called merrily to the guy in charge. Koenma walked over to say hello in order to put off doing his paperwork for a few precious seconds, before his secretary, Jorge, had to drag him back to his desk. Shuuichi smiled before continuing toward his office.

"Shuuichi!" someone called from behind him.

He stopped and turned around. "Oh, hello, Botan," he said, smiling brightly at the bubbly activities director.

"I just wanted to let you know—you have another patient," she said. "It's a sixteen-year old boy. Jaganshi Hiei, I think."

"All right. When do I get to meet him?"

"Your first session is two days from now, I think," Botan mumbled, looking unsure. "I can't exactly remember..."

"Well, that's all right; I'm sure they'll tell me later," he said. "I'll be seeing you around, ne?"

"...oh! Yes!" she cried, as if suddenly remembering what she had been doing. "Goodbye then, Shuuichi!"

Shuuichi rolled his eyes and continued down the hall. Botan was nice, if you could overlook the fact that she was a bit bubble-headed. He clutched his clipboard to his chest, making his way through the halls. He smiled at several of his patients and they smiled back. Almost all of the kids liked him, and although he didn't know exactly why, he was glad.

He turned into the hall to the right. His foot caught on something and he lost balance. Shuuichi plummeted to the floor, falling onto something small and warm. He opened his eyes.

"Oh! I'm so, so sorry!" Shuuichi yelled.

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Hiei currently had a very dazed, very hot chick on top of him. She seemed quite a bit taller than him (then again, didn't that describe almost everyone?), with long, soft hair and the light complexion of a redhead. She was wearing blue jeans and an emerald blouse under a white coat. Her slender form was pressed flush against his chest...

"Oh! I'm so, so sorry!"

And then he realized that perhaps his fair redhaired maiden wasn't a maiden at all. The beauty disentangled him- or herself from Hiei, scooting away.

"I'm terribly sorry," the beauty said, cheeks coloring slightly. Hiei was now certain that this was a man—his voice, although soft and light for a man's, was too deep to belong to a female.

Hiei sat up, embarrassed about having such thoughts about a man... did this mean he was gay? He sheepishly handed the man his clipboard, which had skidded across the floor when they had collided. He scratched the back of his head, trying to hide the blush that wanted to break through.

The man stood, offering a hand that Hiei gladly accepted. The other's hands were soft and delicate—piano hands—yet their grip was strong.

The other gave him a small smile. "I'm Minamino Shuuichi."

Hiei slid his tingling hand into his pocket, not intending to wash that hand for a while. "Jaganshi Hiei," he murmured, staring at Shuuichi's pink sneakers in an attempt to take his mind off of the rest of the man.

Shuuichi's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, really? I've heard rumors that I'm going to be your counselor soon. Have you heard anything?"

"No..."

"In any case, I suppose I'll be seeing you around, ne?" Shuuichi remarked.

"Yes, I suppose so," Hiei mumbled, making sure his voice didn't betray the fact that he was quite happy about the idea.

Shuuichi chuckled and ruffled Hiei's hair before carrying off down the hall. Hiei stared after him.

"..._HE_ THINKS I'M A LITTLE KID, TOO!" He yelled, and stalked off angrily in the opposite direction.

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Hiei dejectedly chewed through his dinner (slop much like the foodstuffs of school cafeterias), reflecting on how everyone seemed to think he was just a little kid. The jury had probably thought he was only twelve—that must have been why he was in juvenile hall instead of the big house. Yes, that was it.

"What's wrong with you, shrimp?" Kuwabara asked, plowing through a serving of gummy mashed potatoes.

"None of your business," Hiei ground out, dropping his spoon back onto his tray. He took his napkin and tore it into small pieces that fell from his lap like confetti.

"Did the other guys finally tell you about puberty?" Kuwabara asked, mock-sympathetically.

"I've gone through puberty, thank you," Hiei growled.

"I bet you've never seen a naked girl!" Kuwabara challenged.

"I bet the only naked girl _you've_ ever seen is your mom."

Kuwabara crossed his arms. "Yeah right, shrimp. Girls are _always _throwing themselves at me. Ain't that right, Urameshi?"

Yuusuke looked over at the two. "You mean that girl who'd rather go out with Bakken than you?" Yuusuke asked, referring to the scarred policeman who was obsessed with doing odd things with his own sweat.

"Heh."

"So! That girl just had bad eyesight. All the other ones _love_ me."

"More like they love your money," Yuusuke put in. "Kuwabara's family is filthy rich, but even so they refuse to pay his way out of juvie. Pathetic, isn't it?"

"Yes; it _is_ pathetic. Mind sharing any of that money with me?"

Kuwabara stared at Hiei for a moment. "Perhaps if you made your hair hang downwards... you know, like a normal person's hair? Then I suppose you'd look enough like a girl."

Hiei glared. "I don't want to go out with you! I just want your money!"

Yuusuke glanced between the two. "How much you need?"

"A little over three million yen..." Hiei mumbled.

Yuusuke had conniptions. "What are you thinking?! What would you _do_ with that much money?"

"...look at a whole _bunch_ of naked girls, I'm guessing," Kuwabara mumbled.

"Pervert. I'm not interested in women. Well, not romantically, at least..." Hiei stared out the window, thinking of Yukina... he loved his sister so much... she shouldn't have to suffer...

"You mean you're _gay_?!" Kuwabara exclaimed, jumping about a foot in the air.

Hiei's focus snapped back to his two annoying roomies. "NO!" He yelled instantly, thoughts instantly going back to the very un-straight thoughts he'd been having about Minamino-san... Hiei blushed slightly. He covered his burning cheeks by pretending to wipe some non-existent food from his face using a napkin. He suddenly turned serious. "It's just... my sister..."

"What? What about your sister?" Yuusuke and Kuwabara were rapt with attention.

Something in Hiei snapped and he clammed up again. "It's nothing." He said, standing abruptly.

"...that kid has problems," Yuusuke muttered, staring after Hiei.

"Yeah. It looks like my buddy Minamino will have his work cut out for him, ne?"

Yuusuke's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Your _special _buddy?"

Kuwabara turned red. "Of course not!"

"Oh, right. I forgot; you only _wish _he was your special buddy..." Yuusuke said thoughtfully, easily dodging Kuwabara's angry punches.

"...you need to go into a forest and die, Urameshi," Kuwbara gasped, exhausted from his fruitless attempts at punishing Yuusuke for his comment.

Yuusuke rolled his eyes, crossing his arms behind his head. "Don't be mad at me because you're an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot."

"Sure you are."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yuh-uh."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yuh-uh."

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"So, how was your day?" Karasu asked as he heard Shuuichi enter through the front door, slipping his shoes off in the entryway.

Shuuichi dropped his bag on the floor, moving to the kitchen. "It was just lovely," he murmured, slipping his arms around Karasu's waist and pressing a kiss into his back.

Karasu laughed. "Obviously. So you had a good time during classes?"

Shuuichi withdrew his arms, shrugging. "They weren't terrible."

"Heh. What about work?"

"It was easy. I only had two patients today, so I didn't have much to do. But I have a new patient who I met today. I won't see him for a few days, but you know... always good to meet the patients."

"Yes, I know what you say... so obsessed with being on good terms with the patients. That's part of why they like you so much."

"Oh, really?" Shuuichi asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's the other reason they like me, then?"

"...you're incredibly sexy... that's why," Karasu answered, smiling. "Now you go and study. I'll finish dinner."

Shuuichi stood on tiptoe, giving Karasu a kiss on the cheek. "Ja."

Finished 9/09/04

Beta-ed by the voices in TRT's head

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AN: Mou! I am back, once again! Unfortunately, updates won't be on a totally fixed schedule for this fic, considering I haven't written anything past this so far! Even so, I'm going to _try_ for once-a-week updates... I shall cross my fingers...

Meanwhile, tell me what you think. I do care. Really. I'm not _exactly_ sure where this is going, but... that's OK, I guess. And if anyone is interested in beta-ing and has loooooots of free time (my two previous betas just went back to school and are bogged down in work, so I don't want to bother them), please tell me. After all, think of the benefits! Er... getting personal e-mails from me! Seeing my stories before everyone else! And...erm... getting to correct all my grammatical and other-type errors! (Wow, that sounds more like reasons _not_ to be my beta... heh).

Anyway, please review! I don't know how successful this fic will be, so I won't make any demands yet. But I'd be pleased if you would satisfy my lust for reviews... that's just odd. It really is. I'm shutting up now. I think.

P.S. Be smart. Buy ketchup!


	2. Chapter Two

**Codependency**

**Chapter Two**

Hiei was a convict, and yet he still had to go to school. It boggled the mind, really. Kind of like how his math homework boggled the mind. He wondered why he should do his homework. There didn't seem like much reason to. He'd be stuck here either way, sooooooo...

He slammed his book shut, tossing it haphazardly to the floor. Annoyed sounds of pain came from across the room, but Hiei chose to ignore them.

"Didn't you hear me, shrimp?! I said watch where you're throwing your crap!" Kuwabara yelled, twitching.

"Idiot," Hiei grunted.

"Hey Hiei," Yuusuke muttered, from a corner of the room, "Didn't you have to see Minamino today?"

"Yeah," Hiei muttered nonchalantly, pretending as if he didn't care.

"You don't want to keep Minamino waiting," Yuusuke advised.

"...why?"

"You're on your way to finding out," Yuusuke said, gaze flicking pointedly to his wristwatch. "Three minutes 'til your appointment."

"Really?" Hiei asked, in the way of someone who is slightly surprised but doesn't care in the slightest. He stood slowly, stretching. "I suppose I'd better be on my way then," Hiei said, walking as slowly as possible out the door.

As soon as the door closed, Yuusuke and Kuwabara heard Hiei running down the hall at top speed. They exchanged looks. Yuusuke burst out laughing.

"Hiei's just like you, Kuwabara—he's got it bad for Minamino, too."

Kuwabara swatted at Yuusuke. "Everybody's got it bad for Minamino _except_ me. I must be the only one here who isn't gay. I'm so manly." Kuwabara flexed his biceps.

"Puh. Keep telling yourself that," Yuusuke muttered, and plopped down on his bunk.

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Hiei raced down the halls and to where he had been told to meet Shuuichi. He stood in front of the door a minute later. He banged on the door loudly with his fist.

It opened and Hiei was met by Shuuichi's sweet 'let-me-psychoanalyze-you' smile. "Good afternoon, Hiei! I'm so glad you could make it."

Hiei shrugged. "It's not like there was anything else for me to do."

"I imagine it _is_ rather boring, staying here all day... but don't worry, you'll get used to it! All the others did."

Hiei 'hnn'ed.

"Here, have a seat," Shuuichi closed the door behind him, ushering Hiei onto the couch. Shuuichi sat gracefully on the armchair across from Hiei, grabbing his clipboard and a pen. He produced a pair of reading glasses from a pocket of his coat and slipped them on over his nose.

That was a new development. Hiei didn't mind the glasses... they were cute...sort of. In an odd, virginal sort of way. However, Hiei highly doubted that the extremely attractive Shuuichi was... well, you know. Hiei tried not to blush. He had no idea where his thoughts were coming from, but he was quite sure as to where they were leading him.

He pulled one of the throw pillows onto his lap, digging into it with his fingernails. Breathe, Hiei. Yes. Breathe.

"So, would you like to tell me something about yourself or should I start using the mind probe straight away?"

"...are you a Trekkie?" Hiei asked, confused.

"No. But I can do the Trekkie hand symbol. I taught myself how to. See!" Shuuichi held out his hand; there was a gap between the middle and ring fingers.

Hiei wasn't quite sure what to think. He sweat-dropped, wondering what he was supposed to do.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Am I making you nervous? I don't normally act like this, it's just that I ran out of healthy cereal this morning and I had to eat the kind with lots of sugar..." Shuuichi coughed, trying to regain some sense of professional dignity. "So, I'm Minamino Shuuichi and I'm twenty years old. I graduated from high school when I was sixteen and I just got my bachelor's last year. Now I'm in grad school and I part-time here."

"..."

"Oh, and I like gardening."

"Well, I... I'm Jaganshi Hiei. I'm sixteen, but everyone thinks I'm twelve."

"I didn't think you were twelve."

"Really?" Hiei asked. He became slightly happier than before.

"I figured you were ten," Shuuichi explained, grinning from ear to ear.

Hiei wondered suddenly why all the gorgeous ones were either psychopaths or irritating to the extreme. As far as Hiei had seen, Shuuichi fit into the latter category. Of course, Shuuichi was irritating in an extremely _cute_ and _sexy_ way, but...

Yukina! YUKINA! THINK ABOUT YUKINA, YOU TESTOSTERONE-COMPELLED IDIOT!

"...is something wrong, Hiei?" Shuuichi asked, peering at him with those emerald eyes... _pretty green eyes_... Hiei forced himself to look at his shoes.

"It's nothing," Hiei gulped. He was fairly sure that Shuuichi knew he was lying, but he was _also_ fairly sure that he wouldn't press him about it. Shuuichi began scribbling something down onto the notepad attached to his clipboard.

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "What are you writing?"

"Writing? I'm not writing. See? I'm going to play boxes while you stare at me for the rest of the time." Shuuichi showed him the paper filled with evenly spaced dots.

"You're the most childish and incompetent shrink I've ever seen," Hiei deadpanned.

"How many shrinks _have_ you seen?"

"Err... none except you."

"_Ah, I see_. Would you like to play?"

"Sure," Hiei mumbled. Shuuichi handed him a pen and he marked a line going from one dot to the next. "I still think you're the most incompetent shrink in history."

Shuuichi shrugged, marking his own line parallel to Hiei's. "At least all my patients like me." Hiei scratched down a line randomly. "Well, all of them except you."

"I don't dislike you. You're much better company than my idiot roommates, at least."

"Yuusuke and Kazuma?" Shuuichi asked.

Hiei looked up. "How'd you know?"

Shuuichi smiled. "I figured people like them would annoy you... a lot. Oh, and it said so on the information that Koenma—that's the guy who runs this place, you know—gave me."

"...what else did the 'information' say?"

"Hmm... let's see," Shuuichi retrieved a packet of papers from underneath his clipboard, peering at it. "Your name is Hiei... you're four foot ten without your hair... oh, and you stole money from Sakyo-san."

"...and now you're going to ask me why, ne?"

Shuuichi shook his head. "You wouldn't tell me, would you?"

Hiei gave him a fanged grin. "Most likely not."

"And so I won't ask," Shuuichi concluded. He then turned back to the dot-covered paper. "Are you bored with boxes or shall we continue?"

Hiei 'hnn'ed, scratching a line down. He stared at Shuuichi, letting his mind wander. His thoughts drifted out of the realm of what he was supposed to be doing, instead deciding to take a vacation in Shuuichi-land. He and Shuuichi could be together somehow... and Shuuichi would cook him Ramen while wearing a pink apron... and possibly nothing else. He tried to imagine this undoubtedly lovely sight, but found that all he could picture Shuuichi in was that white lab coat... and nothing else. Well, nothing else except for the sneakers, which refused to go away even in his vivid fantasy life with Shuuichi...

Then, the phone rang. Hiei found himself ripped from his fantasy, which was probably a good thing, seeing as how it was best if he didn't imagine his shrink like that...

"Oh, please excuse me, it's probably something important," Shuuichi mumbled getting up from his seat and going over to answer the phone. He glanced down at their game of boxes; Shuuichi was beating him magnificently, although that _could_ be because Hiei hadn't been paying any attention whatsoever... yes.

"Moshi moshi..." Shuuichi said brightly into the receiver. His bright smile quickly faded into a glare. "What have I told you about calling while I'm having appointments?"

Shuuichi drummed his fingers on his desk. "You're exactly right! I said _not to do it!_" Shuuichi sighed, exasperated. "Yes, I know you love me... oh, don't worry about it, I'll cook. I know you must be busy with work, considering... yes, I'll be just fine."

Hiei stared at Shuuichi, interested. The shrink was either talking to a family member, a lover, or a metrosexual housemate...

"Love you too. Ja," Shuuichi mumbled, placing the phone back on its cradle. He turned to Hiei. "Sorry about that; my boyfriend is rather... solicitous."

"...you're gay?" Hiei asked, disguising both the hope in his voice because of this new development and the disappointment due to the fact that Shuuichi was already attached.

Shuuichi twirled a lock of hair between his fingers, as if considering it. "I suppose so. I usually think of myself as more bisexual than anything, though. Why? Does that bother you?"

Hiei shrugged, looking away. "Eh. The fact that a shrink who pretends to treat me has an alternate lifestyle doesn't affect me."

"Well, if it makes you uncomfortable..."

"It doesn't make me near as uncomfortable as that lab coat does," Hiei said, staring pointedly at Shuuichi's white coat.

Shuuichi gasped. "A breakthrough! You're afraid of lab coats!"

"No...I'm not."

"Hn. Well, then. I'm wasting my time here, aren't I?" Shuuichi asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Possibly."

"Then maybe we should just say goodbye for now," Shuuichi said formally, standing up. He tugged Hiei from his seat, leading him to the door. "I'll see you next week. Have a good day."

Jeez. Mood swings, much? Hiei scoffed mentally; his psychologist needed therapy more than _he_ did. Hiei stepped outside. "Oh, and by the way," he murmured, looking up at Shuuichi, "I did it for my sister." Then he walked back to his room.

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All right, so Hiei hadn't really gained any ground on the field of Making-Shuuichi-Like-Me. Actually, he might have _lost_ ground. Meanwhile, Shuuichi still knew next to nothing about Hiei. So they were even. And besides, just _one_ of Hiei's new fantasies could make up for anything Shuuichi might uncover about him. And Hiei had _several_ new fantasies...

He grinned despite himself. Now, _that_ was a way to relieve stress.

"You sure seem happy," Yuusuke observed. "Did Minamino treat you nice?"

"...possibly," Hiei murmured, letting the happy grin fade.

"Did you play paper battleships?"

"No."

"Boxes?"

"Yes."

"Heh heh. Minamino _likes_ playing boxes."

"So?"

"He must _like_ you..."

"Firstly, Yuusuke, I have no interest in Minamino whatsoever," Hiei lied through his teeth. "Secondly, Minamino has a boyfriend."

"You know about that already? Jeez... I thought I could have some fun playing with your mind, but apparently you've researched him fully..."

"I haven't 'researched' him at all. His boyfriend called while we were playing boxes."

"Do _you_ think he likes his boyfriend?" Kuwabara asked.

"I don't care enough to think about it," Hiei muttered, "Because unlike you, I'm not gay."

"Hiei..."

"What?!" he hissed angrily.

"You're a pathological liar, aren't you?"

"Idiot," Hiei growled.

"Ha ha! Hiei has a crush on Minamino!"

"So does everybody else. Idiot."

"Kami-sama, he admitted it!"

"Puh." Hiei collapsed on his bed.

"...you're not dead, are you?" Yuusuke asked, poking Hiei. Hiei didn't respond.

"Yay! He's dead, he's dead!" Kuwabara yelled, dancing around and throwing confetti.

Hiei glared.

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Shuuichi stared at the answering machine.

"I didn't listen to it earlier, but I saved it for you," Karasu told him, wrapping arms around Shuuichi's waist. "I'll delete it if you want me to."

"No, that's all right," Shuuichi mumbled, sighing heavily. "I might as well listen to what she has to say..."

"But why, Shuuichi? It always makes you so sad to hear from her..." Karasu asked, concern leaking into his voice.

"If she makes the effort to contact me, then I might as well listen."

"You don't have an obligation to her, you know. You're your own person," Karasu whispered.

Shuuichi shrugged Karasu off, staring pointedly at him. "Could you leave while I listen?"

"Fine. I'll finish washing the dishes," Karasu huffed, heading toward the kitchen.

Shuuichi plopped down on the couch and pressed the little button. The mechanical voice croaked out something about a message and he pressed the appropriate number.

"Hey, Shuuichi," came the voice from the speaker. It was warm and maternal, telling of freshly baked cookies, happy children, and good times. Oh, how it lied. "How are you? I pray you're doing well. I know it's been a long time since we've talked, but I'd really like for us to have a relationship again. I've been getting help for the past year and I think I'm finally healed. I've been completely clean for the past six months and I'm getting better every day."

Shuuichi sank down in his seat, clutching at the armrests. He swallowed the large lump in his throat, staring at the sofa cushions.

"I got a new job a few weeks ago and it's going well. I'll be out of rehab soon and I'd like to see you sometime. I know you're probably angry at me and I don't blame you if you are. But I want to be a good mother to you. That's all I've ever wanted; I've just messed up a little along the way. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you, Shuuichi. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I pray you'll give me a call or write me a letter. You know where to contact me if you want to. Love you forever!"

Shuuichi wiped away at the tears pricking in his eyes. Every single damn time his mother tried calling him or writing him a letter, it made him cry. He was getting better—at least he didn't sob until he was sick anymore—but it was still pretty bad. The average twenty year-old didn't start wailing whenever his mother decided to contact him.

Of course, they didn't have the relationship of a normal mother and son. He used 'mother' in the loosest sense—she was where he had come from, but that was about it. She was hardly ever there when he was a kid, alternating between getting drunk in bars and going to alcoholics anonymous meetings. Shuuichi had been forced to take care of himself at an early age. His mother's food stamps and welfare checks paid for their necessities, but Shuuichi had to do everything else.

His mother was wonderful when she was sober. She was the sweetest, most loving, most completely suffocating woman in the world. She hugged him constantly and was more affectionate than a puppy. It was sickening, really. She always tried to make up for the times she wasn't there by being with him constantly when she was.

Shuuichi hated it. Going from being completely alone to being absolutely suffocated didn't lead to Shuuichi being a very happy _or_ mentally stable individual. He was used to the chaos of living with an alcoholic and drug addict. Normal life just wouldn't be right.

Shuuichi was never happy... his mother's addiction was always holding him back. He couldn't get into any good schools because they couldn't afford the tuition, couldn't go on the interesting field trips, couldn't pay for the things he needed...

But Shuuichi supposed he couldn't blame his mother. She'd had a bad childhood herself and the death of her husband, Shuuichi's father, had sent her completely over the edge.

She just drank and drank... ignoring the fact that the alcohol didn't do a damn thing to alleviate the pain.

No. It wouldn't do to dwell on his past. That would only make him depressed. He fought down the tears building inside him and stood shakily. He wandered to the kitchen, where Karasu had almost finished unloading the dishwasher. He picked up a bowl from the rack and placed it on the shelf.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Shuuichi mumbled, putting a plate in its place.

"Tissue?" Karasu asked, holding up a box of Kleenex.

Shuuichi smiled. "Thanks," he said, taking one and blowing his nose. "Sorry about earlier. I was rude."

Karasu shrugged. "So you're hormonal. So what."

"I don't have the right to be mean to you just because my mother upsets me."

"Pfft."

"Fine, _don't_ forgive me," Shuuichi said, sounding hurt.

"Oh, I forgive you," Karasu mumbled, closing the door to the dishwasher. "I love you..."

"Yeah, ditto. So, what do you want to do?"

"Emm... have sex?"

Shuuichi rolled his eyes. "_Really_."

"I wasn't kidding!"

"Doofus," Shuuichi muttered, flicking him between the eyes.

"Hey!" Karasu said indignantly.

"I'm going to take a shower. You... may do things that do not involve the bathroom. Are we clear?"

"Nope, not at all," Karasu said, eyes shining.

"Whatever. I'll lock the door." Shuuichi closed the door, locking it just as he said he would. Alone, his defenses immediately crashed and a little tear trickled down his face. "Damn... I don't know why the hell it hurts so much, but that doesn't change the fact that it hurts," he muttered as he stepped into the shower, feeling the hot water rolling down his back.

He relaxed slightly. Hot water always _did_ make him feel better.

Finished 9/18/04

Beta-ed by Millennium Dreamer

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AN: I fear I'm moving too fast. That wasn't supposed to happen for a while... oh well. Sorry the chappy is late. Mou. I tried, but school happened. Oh, and I'm also sorry that the chapter sucks... pfft. I don't like it at all. But it only took you five minutes to read it, so it's not that much of a waste, ne? mouuu... I'm sorrrrrry! cries

Meanwhile, you gave me lots of nice reviews! Please continue the trend!


	3. Chapter Three

**Codependency**

**Chapter Three**

Hiei sat in class, not paying any attention. Nobody else was paying attention either. You know, when in Rome...

He sighed. He had been so busy thinking dirty thoughts about Shuuichi that he'd forgotten all about Yukina for the past two days. That was _bad_. His sister was _dying_ and all he could think about was some temperamental, moody, _gorgeous_ shrink. See! There it was again!

Hiei buried his head in his arms. He felt so _bad_... he was thinking more about some pretty boy he'd met only a few days ago than his twin sister. "_Yukina_..." he mumbled, sighing.

"Urameshi, you think he's having a wet dream about some chick named Yukina?" Kuwabara 'whispered', loudly enough for all the people who were awake to hear it. Thankfully, only about a fourth of the class was awake.

"Hm?" Yuusuke murmured sleepily, raising his face from his textbook long enough to stare, confused, at Kuwabara. Then his head fell back onto the pages of his book.

"Jeez, I can't even say mean things about the shrimp—nobody's awake to hear them," Kuwabara muttered indignantly.

"I can hear them," Hiei said, glaring.

"Ehh! Hiei, you're awake!" Kuwabara squeaked in surprise. "I didn't know you were awake!"

Hiei debated whether he should say, 'You don't know many things' or 'Obviously, I am', while Kuwabara contented himself by gaping openly at his new discovery.

"So, do you know the answer to number three?"

"Yes."

"Well... tell me!"

"...No."

"Whyyyyyy not?" Kuwabara whined.

"Because you're an idiot."

"That's not nice, shrimp!"

"Quiet back there, you two!" the teacher called.

"At least _we're_ awake," Hiei muttered.

The teacher coughed and continued his droning.

Hiei sighed and rolled his eyes. "Here you go," he mumbled, pushing his paper toward Kuwabara.

"...Wow! Thanks, shrimp!"

"Don't get used to it," Hiei growled. He had, despite popular opinion, usually been a fairly decent student—and now that he didn't have a job, there was little else to do besides school work.

Later that day they were supposed to be having visitors. Hiei didn't expect anyone to come for him, considering all the people he knew on the outside either hated him or were dying, but apparently he had to suffer through it anyway. So at the moment most people were either sleeping or counting the time until their family visited. He had gathered from the others that having parents visit was a _good_ thing—they gave food and candy and sometimes even snuck in illegal drugs. With _those_ things, you could get almost anything off the juvie black market. Not that it really mattered to Hiei.

So, later that day Hiei was following Yuusuke and Kuwabara around. Well, not really following them around—just going the same place they went right after they went there. Yes. There _was_ a difference. Either way, they ended up in a large room with tables. Lots of tables. Hiei decided to go sit in a corner by himself, watching as Kuwabara was beat up by a family member—presumably his older sister. Hiei chuckled.

Yuusuke, meanwhile, was sitting by himself as well. He stared at the wall, as if he was trying to bore holes in it with his eyes. It didn't seem like an angry stare, though—it was just intense.

"Hiei! Oh, I'm so sorry!" a voice called. Hiei's gaze snapped upward and his heart took a leap at the voice. Thin arms were thrown around his shoulders; he felt his body being pulled into another's.

"...Yukina? I... I didn't expect you to come..." he whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder.

She pulled back, taking the seat across from him. "Well, I... I missed your trial because I was sick that day... I feel really bad, Hiei. You did it for _me_..." She stared at the floor, refusing to meet Hiei's gaze.

"It's not your fault, Yukina. You didn't force me to do it; I did it of my own free will. Of course, I still wish I hadn't gotten caught..." He gave her a smile. "But I'm more worried about you. How have _you_ been?"

"Well, I... I was well enough to go to school the other day. I had a ton of work to make up... if I miss much more school I'll be held back..." Yukina folded her hands in her lap. "Meanwhile, the whole school is talking about you. They think it's great that you almost got the better of Sakyo-san. He's very embarrassed about the whole thing..."

"I would imagine..."

"Anyway..." A tense silence followed, with both thinking of what to say next. "Mom is getting worse... I'm worried about her; I think she's going to die soon..." Yukina stared down at her hands; there were little teardrops on them.

"_No_..." Hiei gasped, covering his mouth. He swallowed the lump in his throat with difficulty before continuing. "But Yukina... no... that can't happen!"

"I'm sorry, Hiei... she just keeps getting sicker and sicker. She hasn't left her bedroom for a week... she scarcely leaves her bed... I cook for the two of us when I can, but I'm sick most of the time too..."

"Damn," Hiei ground out through clenched teeth. "This wasn't supposed to happen..." He rested his head on the table weakly. "I'm sorry, Yukina_... so sorry_..."

"It's not your fault, Hiei..."

"Yes it is! I'm supposed to be taking care of you and mother, but instead I'm here! Stuck in this stupid place..."

"Hiei... you care too much... stop worrying, you can't do anything about this... the situation is beyond anyone's control," Yukina murmured, threading her fingers through Hiei's hair soothingly.

"It shouldn't be! It's not fair that you and mother are going to die! What did the two of you ever do to deserve to die?!"

Yukina's lips turned up in a sweet, sad smile. "That's just the way the world works, Hiei. Life has never been fair—some people have everything and others have nothing. But don't think our family was one of those who got nothing, Hiei. We have a lot to be thankful for. We have each other and we have all our memories... we can't rightly _ask _for anything else, can we?"

"Yes we can! Everybody else does and you know that, Yukina! So many people don't have to worry about the things we have to worry about... the gods must hate us..."

"Don't say that, Hiei... it's not true."

"How can you be so calm and accepting, Yukina? You're... _you're dying_..."

"What makes you think that?" she asked, smiling sweetly.

"You... you will..."

"We'll all die in the end, Hiei. We go when it's our time to, all right? Now, don't be so sad," she said, patting the top of his head. "You've done enough. Now I'm going to do all that I can to make everything right." She placed a hand on the table, pushing herself into a standing position. "I'd better be leaving now... I told mother I'd be back in time to cook her some supper..."

Hiei stood as well, glancing around the room for a moment before hugging Yukina once more. "I love you," he whispered so that he was sure no one else heard it.

"I love you too, Hiei..." she replied, before pulling away and walking out the door. He stared after her, feeling a wave of guilt hit him. Yukina was dying, and yet she was so much nicer a person than he was... she was always so sweet and loving...

"Are you OK?" came a voice from beside Hiei's ear; he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, Shuuichi..." he mumbled, still staring at the door.

"I assume _she_ was your sister..."

Hiei nodded. "She's dying," he whispered sadly.

"You okay?" Shuuichi asked, sounding strained and tired. Hiei spun around to face the redhead.

"I'm fine," he said quickly, although his voice was a little shaky. "What's wrong?"

Shuuichi gave him a weary smile. "There's nothing wrong. Just had a long night."

"With your... _boyfriend_?" Hiei asked.

Shuuichi let out a dry laugh. "I'm sure he _wishes_..."

Hiei gave an internal sigh of relief. "Hn. Well, I guess I'll see you again soon, ne?"

"Oh? Yes, you will. I _do_ suppose I should talk to the others as well..." He wandered off to talk to Kuwabara's family.

Hiei stared after him. Shuuichi was still beautiful, but... there was something different about him. His eyes weren't quite as shiny as they usually were...and he seemed to have lost some of his alluring charm. Hiei couldn't help but think that something really _was_ wrong—he didn't know the shrink at all, but he could just tell.

He 'hn'ned. He had problems of his _own_ to deal with.

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"Hiei, who was that hot chick you were talking to earlier? I thought you said you weren't interested in women!"

"...that was my sister, you moron," Hiei answered, glaring at Kuwabara.

"Wow..." Kuwabara murmured, little hearts floating around his eyes. "Well, it's obvious who won the genetic lottery in _your_ family..."

"Shut up."

"But she's hot! And pretty!"

"...and she's dying."

"_Dying_?! Hot chicks can't _die_! Isn't that right, Urameshi?!"

"Shut up, idiot," Yuusuke warned as he watched Hiei. The boy's fists were clenched in anger, misty red eyes boring holes into the wall. "So...she was the reason you wanted all that money?"

"If you can't figure that out yourself, then you're not worth the time it would take to explain," Hiei muttered, standing abruptly. He stalked from the room.

"...damn. Now I feel sorry for the shrimp. Not only is he a midget, but his hot sister is dying," Kuwabara said.

"Well gee, why don't you fix it then?" Yuusuke grunted.

"...?"

Yuusuke rolled his eyes. "You're rich, stupid. Pocket change ain't a problem for you. Figure it out."

Thirty minutes later, Kuwabara exclaimed, "I get it, Urameshi! I GET IT! ...hey, where'd he go?"

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Hiei sat against a random wall, knees pulled up to his chest. There were no tears on his face, but his shoulders shook and there was a lump stuck in his throat. People had passed by him, but he was ignored for the most part. He wasn't paying any heed to the other delinquents wandering the halls anyway. He was surprised when he heard a loud, unfamiliar voice right next to him.

"Oi!"

His gaze snapped upward, to see a red-haired, blue-eyed teen standing near him. Next to him was a short boy with blue hair and green bangs.

"What's wrong with you?" the redhead asked, cocking his head to the side.

Hiei didn't answer.

"Oh, c'mon! Turn that frown upside down!"

"...you're probably scaring him, Jin," the other boy said quietly.

"Nonsense, Touya!" Jin exclaimed in his Irish-sounding voice. "I'll wiggle my ears if you smile!" he said to Hiei.

Hiei stood and began walking away.

"Wait up, kid!" Jin yelled, running after him.

"I told you so," Touya whispered, sitting down where Hiei had been moments before. "This is a nice wall..."

Meanwhile, Hiei was running away from Jin, who was still hot on his trail. He wasn't used to someone being able to catch up with him, and the fact that Jin was on his heels was slightly confusing. However, he ignored that—if he couldn't outrun Jin, he'd have to find a place to hide.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" he yelled, rocketing down the halls.

"Get back here, kid! I wanna see you smiiiiiiiile!"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Hiei yelled again, but this time it was because he was about to run into someone. "Oww... this happens too often..." He mumbled, staring up at Shuuichi. "Hello." He had smacked into Shuuichi's arms and torso and probably would have knocked him over if Shuuichi hadn't been about a foot taller than him.

"Oh, hello Hiei. Fancy seeing you here..." Shuuichi mumbled, rubbing his probably bruised arms.

"Sorry about that," Hiei said, noticing Shuuichi's gesture. "I was... running away from this... red-haired person..." He tried to catch his breath.

"Oh, Jin, you mean? He's still chasing you, see?" Shuuichi said, pointing at the approaching red blur. "I like Jin. He's... interesting."

Jin skidded to a stop in front of the two. "Oh, hello, Shuuichi. Now, I am not going to leave you alone until you smile!" He yelled to Hiei, even though he was only about five inches away from the boy.

Hiei covered his ears to prevent further hearing damage.

"You know, Jin... if you really wanted him to smile, you could..." Shuuichi stepped toward Jin, whispering something in his ear. Hiei watched with interest, tilting his head to the side. He cautiously lowered his hands from his ears.

The two seemed rather occupied with planning Hiei's doom. The boy wisely inched away. After they didn't seem to notice, he took off running, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

"...hey, he's gone!" Jin yelled, suddenly noticing the lack of Hiei.

"Are you going to chase him?"

"No, I don't suppose so. I can always make him smile later. And anyway, I have to keep my buddy Touya out of trouble," he said, nodding to the side. "...huh? WHERE'S TOUYA? TOUYAAAAA!"

Shuuichi grinned as Jin ran away. "Maybe this day is taking a turn for the better..."

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"And then this red-head was chasing me!" Hiei yelled.

"Shuuichi was chasing you?!" Yuusuke asked, in a tone that indicated he'd like it if Shuuichi chased _him_.

"No! I think his name was... Tin-tin... or... Shin...or..."

"Jin?" Yuusuke supplied.

"Yep, that was it!" Hiei said. "What, do you know him?"

"He's my half-brother."

"Ah. That would explain it."

"Eh?"

"...you're both so damn annoying."

"Don't say bad things about my brother."

"Neh."

"Kuwabara was looking for you earlier... I suppose he'll eventually wander back here..."

"Hn. He probably wouldn't be able to find his way back here."

"He's _slightly_ smarter than that."

"Why was he looking for me, anyway?" Hiei asked.

"Oh, I dunno," Yuusuke shrugged. "He probably just thought of a half-decent insult and wanted to run and yell at you before he forgot it..."

"No matter how convincing you might sound to yourself, I know you're lying," Hiei said, giving Yuusuke a sideways glance.

"...how'd you know?" Yuusuke asked, surprised that Hiei had seen through his lie. _He_ had thought it was brilliant, but apparently...

"Firstly, that idiot couldn't think of a half-decent insult to save his life."

Hiei was about to continue, but was interrupted by the sliding open of the door. "You pudding-headed short person!" Kuwabara yelled.

"I rest my case," Hiei said.

Kuwabara ignored the comment. "I've been looking all over for you!" He plopped down on his bed angrily. "Where have you been?"

Hiei refused to answer. The embarrassment of being chased around the compound by a crazy boy was still a little too fresh to be waving around flyers about it.

"Whatever." Kuwabara muttered. His tone suddenly became serious. "I... wanted to talk to you about your sister..."

Hiei's face went completely blank. "Go on..."

"She's dying, so I wanted to help... my family is loaded, so I thought I'd pay her medical bills."

Hiei stared at Kuwabara. The choice was obvious... sure, it would mean accepting help from someone he disliked to the extreme, but... that didn't matter as long as Yukina survived.

"Why are you even asking me? Do you think I'd refuse?"

"...no; actually, I already transferred a check to the hospital. I just figured it would be better if _you_ told Yukina that she was getting an operation—I mean, rather than... my butler or my door-answering man or the guy who fixed my fruit cocktails..."

"...fruit cocktails?" Yuusuke asked.

"Well, gee, is there anything about this that isn't final?"

"...the hospital's menu probably isn't finalized yet," Kuwabara said thoughtfully.

Silence reigned for a moment. However, Silence, like most other tyrants, was overthrown by some random guy wearing a fez.

"...thanks," Hiei muttered grudgingly. "I... I'd hug you or something sappy like that, except that it would probably cause me to... blow chunks. Oh, and the readers would probably throw things. You know, more than they do normally."

"Yeah, you're welcome."

"Oh, and I hope you don't think that just because you're doing this, I'm going to let you go out with my sister," Hiei said warningly, "Because I'm not."

"Whatever you say, shorty."

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That night at supper, Hiei couldn't help but smile. To preserve at least a smidgeon of his image, it was only a small upturning of his lips, but it was nevertheless a smile.

Yukina would live... and he'd be out of jail in six months... Yukina had been right earlier. Maybe things weren't as bad as he had thought they were... maybe everything would be all right...

"He's smiling, Touya! See, he's smiling!" Jin exclaimed, hurrying over to Hiei. Hiei sighed, exasperated. "Oh, and look! I told you I'd wiggle my ears if you smiled, and you did, so I am!"

"Stop wiggling your ears, Jin. You'll scare people," Touya hissed.

"_You_ like my wiggle, don't you?" Jin asked, teary-eyed.

Touya rolled his eyes. "Of course I do."

"YES! LOVE ME FOR THE WIGGLE!" Jin shouted, dancing around and wiggling his ears emphatically.

Hiei sweat-dropped, edging away.

"Hmm... seems as if your life is improving, ne?"

"...certainly looks like it."

Finished 10/03/04

Beta-ed by the voices in my head

**AN: **Wow... sorry for the long wait. I've had a ton of school stuff for the past two weeks... had mid-term type things last week... but I'm off next week, so maybe I can get a jump on writing. Yesh.

Oh, and 'Love me for the wiggle' belongs to Shiggy-chan, AKA my cousin 'Gure. Yellow roses to 'Gure, despite the fact that she won't read my stories... grrrrr.

Must post, must post! I would've had MillenniumDreamer beta it, except she hasn't replied yet and I figure you readers are angry and stuff... mou. So I post. Yesh.


	4. Chapter Four

**Codependency**

**Chapter Four**

"So, I heard that Kuwabara is going to pay for Yukina's operation..."

Hiei nodded.

"And you're happy now?"

Hiei shrugged. "Happier than before."

Shuuichi laughed. "You just _can't _let anyone know how you feel, can you?"

Hiei looked up from where he was marking a bomb above one of the shrink's battleships. "What makes you say that?" he asked innocently.

"Cute, Hiei. Real cute."

_...is he serious? Or is he just kidding?_

"But really, you're not as good at hiding your feelings as you think you are." Hiei watched as Shuuichi placed a mark over his last battleship. "Ha ha, I won!"

"You're an idiot."

"There you go again. You say I'm an idiot, but really, you think I'm just great and magnificent," Shuuichi declared, throwing his hair over his shoulder.

"Don't flatter yourself."

"At least I'm not in denial like _you_."

"Well at least _I_ don't wear pink sneakers."

"What's wrong with my sneakers?!"

"They're pink."

"So! I'm a girly boy; I can wear pink if I want to, dammit!" Shuuichi yelled angrily, pounding a fist down on the table.

Hiei stared at the other boy before he lost control and burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha! HA HA HA HA HA!"

"What are _you_ laughing at?" Shuuichi asked crossly.

"...nothing," Hiei muttered, quieting.

The redhead stared at the wall, resting his chin on his palm, an elbow propped up on the chair arm.

"Something wrong?"

Shuuichi shook his head. "Nah."

"Hn. You're one to lecture _me_ about hiding my emotions."

"SHUUUUUUUUUUICHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" came a great yell from outside; half a second later, the door burst open, revealing a tall man with wavy black hair.

Shuuichi glared, quickly standing. "What are you doing here?! I told you to leave me alone while I was working!"

"It's not like I'm interrupting anything useful or constructive," the man said. "And anyway, I come forth bearing gifts—namely the lunch you forgot this morning because you were in such a hurry to leave." The man dropped a pink lunch box on the table in front of Shuuichi.

Shuuichi blinked at it. "Oh. Thanks."

"If you want to thank me, then do it with your body," the man whispered huskily, although it was certainly loud enough for poor, virgin-eared Hiei to hear it.

"You're a pervert."

"Meh." He shrugged.

"I'm with a patient now—I'd really appreciate it if you left."

The man didn't heed Shuuichi, instead opting to sit next to him. Hiei thought it must be awfully cramped, with the both of them squeezed into that supposed-to-only-seat-one-person couch. Grr...

"Karasu! Get off me!"

"Oh, but why?" Karasu purred, draping his arms around Shuuichi.

"Not in front of the Hiei!" Shuuichi yelled, finally managing to scramble off the couch. He hit the floor with a _flump_.

Violet eyes surveyed Hiei appraisingly; Hiei looked away uncomfortably. "He would enjoy watching."

Shuuichi glared severely. "Get out! Out out _out_!" he shouted, ushering Karasu to the door.

"Oh, fine. But I must ask, Shuuichi: did you run out of Midol again?"

Shuuichi grabbed his desk lamp, staring warningly at Karasu. "I might have."

"I'll take that as a yes," Karasu said briskly, walking back to Shuuichi and pressing a kiss to the other's lips. Then he waltzed out the door.

Shuuichi stared after him, a vein throbbing in his temple. "Grr..." he slowly put his desk lamp back on the table. Shuuichi began muttering things under his breath, most of which were probably not suitable for polite company.

Hiei, meanwhile, was being pummeled by multiple tidal waves of envy. He supposed he should have expected that Shuuichi got kissed by Karasu, among other assorted things... but it was so much worse to _see_ it happen. He narrowed his eyes.

"Something wrong?" Shuuichi asked, peering at him.

"Nothing," he grunted.

"...are you jealous?"

"NO!" Hiei yelled.

"I was only asking..." he said softly. "Of course, since you so vehemently protested, that means you _are_ jealous!"

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"AM NOT!" Hiei bellowed.

Shuuichi grinned. "...you think I'm pulchritudinous, don't you?"

Hiei blinked. "I don't even know what that means."

"You think I'm attractive!" Shuuichi exclaimed, waving his arms in the air.

Hiei stared at Shuuichi. "I'm attracted to you about as much as I'm attracted to Porky the policeman," he stated evenly.

"Oh, yeah right. Hiei, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Shuuichi said, batting his eyelashes girlishly. "I've had _many_ admirers over the years."

"Don't you think Karasu would be angry if he knew you were seducing a patient?"

"...probably. But I suppose since you call it 'seducing', it is working, yes?"

Hiei huffed angrily. "I'm not attracted to you, all right!"

"...are you non?" Shuuichi asked innocently.

"NO!"

"Then what's your orientation?"

"I DON'T KNOW, ALL RIGHT?!"

"Oh, poor, poor Hiei... mouuuuuuu for you, Hi-chan..." Shuuichi said mournfully. "I have confused Murphy..."

"What the hell you babbling about now?" Hiei asked furiously.

"Oh... nothing!" Shuuichi said, standing up. "Off you go, now!" With a large smile on his face, he ushered Hiei toward the door.

"I get the feeling we're wasting a lot of the government's money," Hiei stated, walking away.

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"...damn Karasu..." Hiei stabbed his meat irritably, ignoring the looks that Yuusuke and Kuwabara were giving him. It really irked him... the nerve of some people... Shuuichi was evil, but in an annoying way; Karasu's evil was ultimate and... perverse. And also perverted. Karasu was not worthy of Shuuichi's magnificence...

He stabbed into his Jell-o. It recoiled, scampering away from his murderous spoon. He growled, staring at it intensely. "KILLLLLLLLLLLL!"

"You OK, Hiei?"

"I'm fine. Just fine."

"Did your lover leave you?"

"I don't have a lover."

"Did Yukina decide to go out with Kuwabara?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult my sister that way."

"Well, then what's wrong with you!?"

"NOTHING'S WRONG WITH ME!" He bellowed, glaring at Yuusuke with enough force to cause a Nazgul to go crying to his mother. The black-haired boy, however, didn't seem to be affected by it—Hiei decided it must be because he was too stupid to realize he should be scared. Right.

Yuusuke paused to think, stroking his chin as if he were a Cuban whispering about Fidel Castro. "...did you meet Shuuichi's boyfriend, then?"

Hiei tried his glare once more. After he had proved his ammunition futile for a second time, he abandoned it. He stared darkly at the floor, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Aww, poor Hiei!" Yuusuke said sympathetically, putting his arms around Hiei's shoulders in what was supposed to be a comforting manner. "Should I go and fetch you a box of Kleenexes?"

Hiei refused to answer, so Yuusuke continued. "Did they make out while you were there?"

"No."

"Aww, you really should be sad!" Yuusuke exclaimed. "The first time _I _met Shuuichi's boyfriend..." his voice trailed off and his eyes took on a strange shine. "Well, anyway, that Karasu is one lucky man!"

"...they didn't...?"

"Oh, not while I was there. Karasu threw me out after about fifteen minutes..."

"That completely shatters Shuuichi's 'professional image', doesn't it?"

"Oh, yeah," Yuusuke said, grinning like an idiot.

"You voyeur."

"You'd have stared too!" Yuusuke said defensively. "I mean... I got to see Shuuichi without his lab coat on..."

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were the straight guy here..."

"I am! I just... _appreciate_ men who look like female supermodels."

Hiei coughed uncomfortably.

"Shuuichi looks even prettier without his lab coat... oh, and I got to see his stomach! And... hear him make _all kinds_ of interesting sounds..."

"Shut up before I carve out your heart with this spoon," Hiei threatened, jabbing his spoon at Yuusuke's chest.

"Poor heartbroken Hiei!" Yuusuke said, 'weeping'.

"SHUT UP!" Hiei yelled, knocking Yuusuke to the ground and proceeding to remove his heart.

"...oww... could you please not put your knee in my lung?"

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Good significant others do not bash people over their heads with frying pans. Shuuichi is not a good significant other.

"I thought you liked it when I kissed you," Karasu muttered, sensing what the outburst of anger was about. He rubbed his head in an attempt to ease the escalating pain at the back of his skull.

"You didn't have to do it in front of my patient," Shuuichi said angrily, going back to the kitchen and placing the pan on an eye.

Karasu had followed, and was staring as the little puddle of Canola oil began to heat in the center of the pan. "...Didn't matter so much a few months ago... we put on quite a show for that _one_ patient of yours..." He grinned.

"We're lucky he didn't tell Koenma. I could've lost my job because of that." Shuuichi pulled a large knife from the cutlery drawer.

Karasu took a step back, just in case Shuuichi decided to pull a 'Psycho' on him. "You don't really _need_ a job, Shuuichi. You know I'm rich enough to support the both of us."

"I like my work," Shuuichi stated, beginning to cut the broccoli stalks from the rest of the vegetable.

"Aww, Shuuichi, there are plenty of screw-ups in the world. I'm sure you'll be able to find work that makes you happy anywhere."

Shuuichi finally met Karasu's eyes. "Don't say things like that," came the warning answer.

"...it's true."

"It's not my fault I have problems. Don't make fun of me because of them."

"I'm not making fun, Shuuichi. Not at all." Karasu smiled innocently.

Shuuichi turned away, refusing to look at the black-haired man. He dropped the broccoli into the pan, wincing as some of the hot oil bounced back and splattered on his hand. Tears automatically gathered in the corner of his eyes; he hissed in pain, cradling the hand to his chest.

"Shuuichi, you know better than that," Karasu said, sighing. He took Shuuichi's hand in his own, holding a piece of ice against the reddened skin. "You have to drop it _close_ so it doesn't spatter..."

"It hurts..."

Karasu sighed. "You fix your hand; I'll finish the stir fry."

The first piece of ice had already melted, so Shuuichi opened the freezer and got another one. He sighed with relief as he felt the skin cooling. He pressed the ice into his skin for a few more moments before dropping the considerably smaller-than-before piece in the sink. "Karasu..."

"Hm?"

"...where is this relationship going?" he asked, staring at Karasu's back.

For a moment all he could hear was the sizzling of the onions Karasu had just dropped into the pan. "Downhill," he stated finally, pouring a little soy sauce over the food.

"But why?"

"Because we can't stand each other anymore."

"Why not?"

"You're the psychologist, Shuuichi. _You_ figure it out."

"Is it over, then?"

"...no. There's still a chance, I suppose."

"I don't want this to end, Karasu. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting lately... I really am," he mumbled, staring at the floor.

Karasu smirked. "Yeah, I know. After all, having a relationship that _didn't_ fail would be a personal triumph, ne?"

Shuuichi stared at Karasu, hurt. "That's cruel, Karasu. Really cruel."

"I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine, darling. I mean, you've been being such a _bitch_ all week..." Karasu muttered lazily, lopping a plate of mushrooms into the mix.

"..._you bastard_!" Shuuichi yelled angrily, stomping out the front door.

"Hmm... that was cruel, even for me," Karasu mused. "Oh, well. He'll be back. He always comes back."

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Hiei tried to cast the images from his mind. However, the pictures of Karasu and Shuuichi kept playing over and over... he couldn't sleep because of the ache in the pit of his stomach. Sure, he hadn't eaten, but somehow he didn't think that a lack of food was the cause...

He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to ease the pain. It refused to go away, no matter what he did. He sat up, pulling his sheet around him. _Why_?

He glanced to his left, at the bed beside his. Yuusuke was snoring loudly, so there would be no point in trying to ask him. Hiei doubted that anything Yuusuke said would help him anyway. So... who could he ask? Kuwabara was even more of an idiot than Yuusuke, Jin was scary, Touya blended in too well with the wall, so Hiei probably wouldn't be able to find him... who else could he ask? Why did everything hurt? It was like there was this gaping hole penetrating his insides, but he didn't know why it was there...

"I'm not good with emotions..." he muttered bitterly. His stomach took a turn as he stood up; he put his hands over his mouth, praying he wouldn't puke. It took a moment before his stomach settled again; now, the pain had spread to his throat and he was hit by a gentle wave of nausea. He no longer felt the urge to retch, but the ache was back now, and more persistent.

"Damn it all..." he sunk back in his bed, burrowing into the mattress as best as he could. "Maybe I can ask Shuuichi about it tomorrow... I mean, he's a terrible shrink, but... he might be able to help."

Hiei sighed, settling down for a long, sleepless night.

Finished on 10/09/04

Beta-ed by Millennium Dreamer

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**AN: **Mou! I'm sorry it's shorter than normal, but I couldn't bear to drag it out any longer... so, Shuu has moodswings, Karasu is a prick, and Hiei feels the stirrings... and no, he isn't having middle-of-the-night sickness. And now I will answer a couple reviews.

**What2CallMyself**: Why Shuuichi is with Karasu? Well, Karasu is rich. Shuuichi was pretty much dirt poor since all the money he made in high school went to the necessities instead of helping him with college. So, Shuuichi figured he could go out with the super-rich man and it would all be peachy. Meanwhile, their relationship used to be a lot better than it is now. They used to... like each other. Eh heh heh. As for Hina... I hadn't thought about it. Oops. She's not too important to the story at the moment.

**Shadow Priestess: **Yeah, I thought about that too... normally, Hiei would've turned down help from Kuwabara, but since it's his beloved sister's life on the line... he has no choice but to accept help.

Oh, and everyone is allowed to pound Karasu now. I'm rather angry myself. Mouuu.

Please R & R! It boosts my almost dangerously low self-esteem!


	5. Chapter Five

**Codependency**

**Chapter Five**

Shuuichi didn't like alcohol. The very idea was repulsive, especially since he'd probably become addicted to it if he ever drank it. So, when he felt the need to get away from it all, he stormed off to a nice little café.

The bell tinkled as he entered. It was quite late to be going to a café, but thankfully this one was open twenty-four hours. The girl behind the counter smiled at him and stood. "The usual?" she asked.

He nodded, plopping down in one of the high-backed chairs. He drummed his fingers on the tabletop distractedly. A few moments later, she placed the cup in front of him. He stared at the steam swirling from its depths.

"You OK?" she asked.

"Fine," he said shortly, taking a sip of his coffee. It scalded on the way down, but he didn't care that much at the moment.

"You and your lover have another fight?"

"You could say that."

"You fight a lot."

"I know. It's because we hate each other's guts."

"Oh. Wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"Talk about it anyway; I'm bored."

"Leave me alone."

"Why? It's not like there are any other customers here. _Most_ people don't want coffee at ten."

"It's ten?"

"Yeah."

"Wow... I didn't realize... I guess I'd better find somewhere to stay, then..."

The girl shrugged. "You can stay here if you like. Nowhere to sleep, but you won't _need_ sleep if you drink enough coffee."

Shuuichi's eyes narrowed. "This is just a ploy to get me to buy more coffee."

"So. Is it working?"

He sighed tiredly, rolling his eyes. "Sure."

She hurried back over to the coffee machine to make another cup. "Decaf OK?"

Shuuichi nearly spit out the coffee he had been drinking. "_This_ isn't decaf?"

"You've never drank decaf under my watch!"

"You evil coffee people..." Shuuichi whined, sinking down in his chair.

"SHUUICHI!" came a voice; a bell tinkled as the front door burst open.

"..._mother_?" he asked, trying not to sound horrified.

"Oh, Shuuichi, I've missed you so much!" she cried, wrapping unwanted arms around Shuuichi. He immediately tensed—he couldn't relax, no matter how hard he tried. He didn't want it... not any of it. She finally let go when she realized he wouldn't hug her back; she plopped down in the chair opposite his.

The waitress finally placed his new cup of coffee on the table. His fingers wrapped around its edges tightly. "Would you like anything, miss?" she asked, nodding to Shiori.

"A regular coffee, please," Shiori answered politely.

_She plans on staying...? Kami-sama... _"What brings _you_ here so late at night?"

"Oh, I was coming home from work and I saw you through the window—it was such a surprise to see you here, Shuuichi! I thought you lived with that Karasu fellow... I suppose that's why you didn't return my call?"

The redhead tried to decide what to say. It would feel _so_ good to tell her how he really felt, but... then she'd guilt him and then..._eurgh_. The thoughts made him sick to his stomach. "I haven't had the time," he finally replied. "I've been very busy with work and school lately."

Shiori smiled slightly. Ding ding, we have a winner! "You work so hard, Shuuichi... you always have."

It was one of those awkward, smile-and-nod moments. A cup banged down on the table and the waitress returned to whatever she had been doing before he'd gotten there.

"But why are you _here_, then?"

"I needed a break." It was mostly true. After all, he needed a break from Karasu and emotions and relationships... and Shiori could only catch him if he was telling a _complete_ lie. Yes, yes.

"Is something troubling you?"

You mean besides _you_... and everything else in the world?! Shuuichi's angry thoughts made him feel bad, certainly—to be so utterly pissed off about _everything_... a casual observer would think he was a spoiled brat—and maybe it was true. Maybe he was a delusional fool and... gah! He shook his head distractedly. "No, nothing's troubling me."

"Don't lie."

"_You're_ one to tell me not to lie," Shuuichi said conversationally, as if he was talking about the weather. Shiori stared at the tablecloth; apparently she could find no answer, nothing that would soothe the ache of the millions of untruths...

Shuuichi continued, "Besides, it's nothing to be concerned about." He coughed into his fist. "So, how have you been?" Shuuichi wondered how much longer this had to go on. It grated on his nerves... he had to consider his every action carefully; otherwise, he'd end up even more unstable than before due to the emotions of the manipulative woman he called his mother.

"Oh, I've been just fine. Like I said in my message, I'm all good now... no more drugs, no more lies."

Shuuichi fought the urge to vomit. It was sick... so much deceit hidden in her unassuming visage... no one else _knew_ what she was like, they'd never guess. But he remembered so clearly the days of his youth, when he was still tangled in her web of lies. He had been brainwashed when he was younger—he was just as happy as he could be, even though he shouldn't have been. He should have been depressed and suicidal because his mother didn't care enough about him to be there and take care of him, but back then he had faced the world with a bright, unfaltering smile... always so joyful... he ground his teeth together.

He had been so damn naïve... to _believe_ in her even after everything... every time she'd lied, or painted him a picture of the way things would be once she was better before snatching it painfully away... The all too familiar mix of anger and self-loathing welled up inside; he forcefully swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Is it real this time?" Shuuichi asked. After all, he was her son—if _she_ could guilt him, then _he_ could just as easily make her squirm with regret. The apple never fell far from the tree, especially not when the tree is poisoned by disease. "It's not like those... oh, _thirty_ times before?"

"...you're angry?"

"How do you _expect_ me to feel?" he asked; his voice was calm, but his hands were clutching his mug so hard he was worried he might break it. "Do you want me to act like it doesn't hurt? Like you haven't betrayed me time and time again?"

"Shuu... Shuuichi..." she stared at the floor, tears spilling into her eyes.

"It _hurts_, all right! And I can't handle the ache anymore! Every time I see you or hear from you, it causes me so much pain! I can't be the way you want me to be—I won't let you control me anymore!" Shuuichi said, voice choked with emotion; meanwhile, Shiori was busy sobbing her eyes out.

"I've been _trying_, Shuuichi! I never meant to hurt you and yes, you have every right to be angry! But... I want to have a relationship with you, Shuuichi! I want to make up for all the pain I've caused you!"

Damn it all, not the tears. The tears got him _every single time._ No. He blinked, trying to force them away. "You can _never_ make up for all the pain you've caused me!" he yelled, little drops of anger and sadness rolling down his cheeks.

"But can't I at least _try_?!"

Shuuichi took a ragged breath, blowing it out through his clenched teeth. "You've _tried_ to do a lot of things, mother. You _tried_ to be a better mother, _tried_ to make me happy, _tried_ to control me... all you _do_ is try, mother! Try, try, try! That's all I hear from you! Nothing is ever certain with you! You said you'd try to save enough money so that I could go to a good school—you bought beer instead! You said you'd try to get better—you only got worse! I'm sick and tired of hearing about all the things you're going to _try_ to do!"

"That's so mean, Shuuichi," she sniffled, wiping her eyes on a handkerchief. "Don't I deserve a second chance?"

Fury welled up inside. "It's too late for a second chance, mother," he choked out through his rage. "I've given you millions of 'second' chances..." He stood abruptly from the table, placing some money on it. Then the door banged open and he left. Shiori listened to the tinkling of the bell, staring into the depths of her cup. She bit her lip.

"You OK?" the waitress asked, sauntering back over.

"No."

"Wanna talk about it?"

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He hadn't slept at all last night. He should be so tired, but he wasn't. Meanwhile, the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach persisted.

"Oi, shrimp! Can I have your breakfast?"

Hiei pushed his plate over to Kuwabara; he was being awfully nice, but then again, he wasn't going to eat it anyway.

"You OK, Hiei?" Yuusuke asked, concerned.

Hiei shook his head. "Stomachache..."

"Got food poisoning?" Yuusuke asked, excited. "You can sue the government!"

"No... haven't eaten much lately..."

"Well, sue the government anyway," Yuusuke said, sounding a little put out. Hiei rolled his eyes. "Maybe you're hungry."

Hiei sighed, exasperated. "If I were hungry, I'd be eating. I don't have an appetite."

Yuusuke smirked. "Are your hands clammy?"

"...a little."

"Does your skin feel all tingly?"

"...yes," Hiei admitted. "I don't see what that has to do with anything, though."

"Head hurt?"

"Yes."

Yuusuke cackled evilly, pointing at Hiei.

"_What_?"

"You're in _loooooove_!" Yuusuke declared, pinching Hiei's cheek.

"No I'm not! I'm just feeling under the weather!" Hiei yelled emphatically.

"You have the symptoms of lovesickness!"

"There are a billion symptoms of lovesickness! Just because I have a couple common ailments doesn't mean I'm in love!"

"It's Shuuichi, isn't it?" Yuusuke asked, patting Hiei's shoulder sympathetically. "You poor thing, I thought you just had a crush on him! You know he's already attached..."

"He doesn't seem too happy with his boyfriend lately," Hiei pointed out.

Yuusuke shrugged. "They've been at each other's throats for a while."

"...so, you think I love Shuuichi...?"

"I'm positive."

"How do you know so much about love?" Hiei asked, eyeing Yuusuke skeptically.

"Because I _am_ in love. I've got a girl back home waiting for me. She visits sometimes."

Hiei stared at Yuusuke. "I never would have guessed that an _idiot_ like you could get a girlfriend."

"She's got a nice butt, too," Yuusuke said, grinning.

Hiei rolled his eyes.

"So, you going to tell Minamino you love him?"

"I'm still not sure I do."

"Then _you're_ the one who's the idiot."

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"Hello, Hiei," Shuuichi mumbled, opening the door. There were dark circles under his eyes; apparently _he_ hadn't gotten any sleep either. Hiei was glad to know that at least he wasn't suffering alone. Hiei noticed that Shuuichi wasn't wearing his lab coat today—in fact, he was actually dressed like a _normal_ person, in jeans and a T-shirt.

"Why the change of attire?" Hiei asked, confused.

Shuuichi kneaded his forehead distractedly. "All my other clothes were dirty," he finally said, pasting a smile on his face.

Hiei's expression faltered. It _hurt_ somewhere inside to see Shuuichi faking a smile like that. "I wish you could be happy... I wish you didn't always have to pretend."

Shuuichi stared at Hiei in surprise. "_Hiei_...?"

The black-haired boy looked away. "Just be yourself, Shuuichi. You don't have to put on a mask for my sake."

"Well, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"Nothing," Shuuichi said with finality. By his tone Hiei guessed that the matter wasn't open for discussion, but _that_ wouldn't stop him. Oh no.

"Have you and... Karasu been having problems?"

"We're _always_ having problems," Shuuichi said, sighing. "We used to love each other... I don't know when or how things changed, but... now it's over. All over."

Hiei stared into the emerald depths of Shuuichi's eyes—there was sorrow buried there, beneath the layers of apathy and anger. Hiei was about to speak, but Shuuichi continued.

"I wanted it to work out... I _really_ did. But...my relationships always end badly, I'm afraid." A sad exhalation escaped his lips—now that he had begun telling his tale, he wasn't planning on stopping for a while. "I mean, I didn't expect them to last forever—love rarely does—but... I was hoping for _something_, you know?" He slumped in his chair. "I've had plenty of boyfriends and girlfriends. There was Yomi, and then Maya, and this guy named Youko... but there were countless others. Every single relationship ended in a row..."

"I've loved so many people over the years... and they all ended up hating me for one reason or another. Then Karasu came along and I thought he was something better—he was rich and attractive and he was _so_ sweet... but he's _changed_ over the times. I can't blame him, though—I've changed too, and certainly not for the better." Shuuichi's gaze was fixed on his bright pink sneakers.

"It's just... I've been _trying _to make this work... and I have a bad week, lose my temper a couple times... and he shoves my past in my face. All my mistakes and shortcomings... I trusted him with my past, my heart, my mind, because I loved him... but... I don't _love_ him anymore," Shuuichi finally said, a lone tear rolling down his cheek. "I've tried, but I just can't _force_ myself to fall in love again. And he doesn't love _me_ anymore either..."

"...Shuuichi..." Hiei murmured, feeling something inside him shatter; he didn't want to see Shuuichi upset and crying... he _needed_ for Shuuichi to be happy... why couldn't he have fallen in love with Jin?! Jin was always happy!

"But I don't see why it has to be over... I don't want things to change... I was happy once, why can't I be happy again?" Shuuichi stood shakily, stumbling over to the window. He stared out of it—at the asphalt, steel, and concrete. "...This is a prison to you... but to me, it's a sanctuary. Here, I can be around all the screwed up little kids I want... I can take care of them, make them better..."

Hiei could tell that Shuuichi was rambling now, saying anything that came to mind. It was all the redhead could do to keep from going insane, he figured.

"I'm beginning to have my doubts, though. You've told me over and over, Hiei... I'm bad at what I do. Maybe I'm just hurting people. I don't _want_ to hurt people..."

Hiei stood, walking over to Shuuichi. He grasped a delicate hand in his own, giving it a tug as he led Shuuichi to the couch. He pulled the redhead onto it. "It's OK, Shuu... it's going to be all right," he whispered, in what he hoped was a soothing manner. "You don't have to worry about all that right now..."

Hiei had only understood about half of the other's ramblings, but he could tell that the things contained in them were a source of great discomfort for Shuuichi.

"Oh, Kami... I'm just like my mother..." he muttered, remembering his yells from earlier. "I'm such a damn hypocrite! _I_ can't do anything but try either!" His shoulders shook as if he was sobbing, but no tears would come. He had used them all... now he could only manage dry sobs.

"Shuuichi... don't blame yourself," Hiei whispered, rubbing circles into the redhead's back.

"I don't see why I shouldn't," Shuuichi rasped. "It _must_ be my fault."

"If you believe _that_, then you're an even worse shrink than I thought."

"Maybe I am."

Hiei sighed. "I'm trying to help."

"I'm sorry... but shouldn't I be the one helping you?"

Hiei smiled. "I'm not the one with problems. I'm just a good kid with a little bad luck," he said, wrapping his arms around Shuuichi's shoulders. "You, on the other hand, either need counseling or a lot of medication."

"Why, Hiei? Why are you helping me?" Shuuichi asked. "You have no reason to... I mean, you don't even like me..."

"I never said that."

"Well, I don't see why you _would _like me. I'm unstable... hard to get along with... cynical..."

"And self-deprecating, you forgot that one."

"It's just... I don't understand..."

"You don't understand anything, Shuuichi. That's your problem."

"...mouuuuuuu..." Shuuichi exhaled sadly. "You're right..."

"Do you feel at least _slightly_ better now?"

"I guess so... but I got such good grades on all the tests! How can I be a failure as a psychologist?!"

Hiei sweat-dropped. "Well, you haven't even gotten your master's yet... and you need a PhD to practice on your own."

"How do you know that?"

Hiei shrugged. "The Collective Unconscious?"

Shuuichi grumbled a little, then realized the position they were in. "Why are you holding me?" he asked.

"Um... you were having a disorder. I thought it was the best thing to do at the time."

"Well, can you let go?"

"Yes," Hiei said, although he made no move to.

"..."

Hiei didn't know why he did it. It was completely out of the blue, really. But... staring at Shuuichi's face, his pale skin and red-rimmed eyes... the tangled crimson locks thrown over his shoulder... he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Shuuichi's lips. It was short—Shuuichi wouldn't respond to him, but then, what had he been expecting?

"Before, you were asking about why I wanted to help you... and it's because..." Hiei struggled with the words for a moment, but soon gained confidence. "It's because I love you." He licked his chapped lips, still able to taste the cherry-flavored lip balm Shuuichi had been wearing.

_...I'm an idiot. _The realization hit Hiei like a ton of bricks. He finally got Shuuichi semi-cheered up and then he had to go and tell about his feelings... he was fairly sure that Shuuichi wouldn't want to see him again.

_Fine. I think I've done enough. Gods, I'm an idiot..._ He stood. "I'm sorry; I know I shouldn't have," he said, even though he doubted the numb Shuuichi heard him. "Sayonara, Minamino-san."

He opened the door and walked down the hall, listening hopefully for Shuuichi's footsteps. But he never heard them.

Finished 10/16/04

Beta-ed by the voices in my head

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**AN: **Wow! This story is out of control! ...mou. This story refuses to turn out the way I planned it... but what can I do? The characters are being difficult...

**Queen of the Paperclips**: ...hey, I like your name. Yeah. But anyway, I don't think Keiko will show up... although as you can see, I mentioned her in this chapter. Just a little. As for Yuki and Kuwa... erm, maybe? I'm not exactly sure if they end up together in the fic itself, but the do end up together sometime. Yeah.

**What2CallMyself: **hmm... well, other than the fact that _everyone_ in this fic is shallow... like I said in this chapter (or at least I think I said it...), they _used_ to love each other and Karasu _used_ to be nice. Heh heh. Meanwhile, I'd love to hear Hiei say, "I'M IN LOVE WITH A GOLD DIGGER?!" ... but anyway.

**AMK**: I wish _I_ had an army of thumbtacks...

Mou! And now I must go read the Iliad... evil lit teachers... **grumblegrumble** All comments and reviews and... other stuff are appreciated!


	6. Chapter Six

**Codependency**

**Chapter Six**

Shuuichi slid the door open, peering cautiously inside. "All right, the coast is clear," he whispered to himself, sliding the door shut and locking it behind him. He wandered to his old room, taking his clothes from the chest of drawers. He piled them into his suitcase and closed the lid, moving on to the bathroom.

"Hello," came the cheerful voice from behind him.

Shuuichi spun around. "Karasu?"

The man smiled, walking forward. "Need any help?"

"No, I'm fine," Shuuichi answered. "I...didn't think you'd be here."

"Well, I figured you'd come by today. I wanted to say goodbye, so I took off work."

A look of discomfort crossed over Shuuichi's face.

"If it bothers you that much, I'll leave."

"No, it's all right," Shuuichi murmured, shaking his head distractedly. "I just didn't know you knew my break-up habits so well..."

Karasu grinned. "Youko tipped me off. We went to undergrad school together, remember?"

"Ah! Yes," Shuuichi answered as he opened the bathroom door, venturing inside. He took his shampoo and towels.

"What brand of shampoo is it again?" Karasu asked. Shuuichi showed him the bottle. "Oh! Right! I'll have to remember that now that I can't take it from you anymore..."

"I always _knew_ you were stealing my shampoo..."

"I couldn't help myself."

"_Riiiiiight_."

"Really!" Karasu said, leaning against the counter. "You going to take your kitchen utensils with you, too?"

"Of course."

"What about your... _spatula_?" Karasu asked, in a sneaky voice.

"I'm taking that too."

"Whyyyyy? I liked the spatula!" Karasu whined.

"Buy your own. Kami knows you have plenty of money," Shuuichi muttered, dragging his bag to the kitchen. Karasu followed him.

"Speaking of which... I'll give you money if you need it. You know that, right?"

Shuuichi shrugged. "I'll be fine."

"But if you're _not_, Shuu-chan... if you start having trouble... well, you know where to find me."

Shuuichi smiled. "All right." He zipped up his suitcase. "Well, I guess this is goodbye..."

"Yeah," Karasu mumbled, looking away. "I'm sorry it couldn't work out... I'm sorry for being so evil, too..."

Shuuichi gave him a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek. "That's all right; it would have ended anyway. I mean, we're both smiling while we're breaking up, aren't we?"

Karasu laughed softly. "I suppose it was never meant to work out, then?"

"Probably not."

"So we'll part and never speak again?"

"Well, I hope we speak again. I mean, you were quite nice when we were just friends."

"Shuuichi, everything changes once you've dated someone."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Don't be so old-fashioned."

"What? It's a fact of life!"

"Don't be a frump; _sex_ is a fact of life."

"No, it's a requirement..."

"I'm leaving now."

"Oh, all right. Well, goodbye and have a nice life!" Karasu called merrily as Shuuichi walked toward the door.

"Hmm... I'll call you when I'm ready to."

"K."

"Ja, then," Shuuichi said, walking out the door; he never looked back.

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"Still lovesick?" Yuusuke chirped at breakfast.

"No."

"Really, now? What did you do that cured it, then?" Yuusuke asked, eyes glittering dangerously.

"...I kissed Shuuichi," Hiei muttered, poking at his scrambled eggs.

"What?! YOU KISSED MINAMINO?!" Yuusuke yelled, jumping up.

"Shh, everyone doesn't need to know!" Hiei shrieked, yanking Yuusuke back in his seat.

"But you kissed him! You _kissed_ him!" Yuusuke was gaping at him, eyes wide and fish-like.

"Well, it's not like he enjoyed it."

"Are you a really bad kisser or something?"

"I dunno. It was just... bad timing." Yuusuke looked utterly perplexed; Hiei sighed and continued. "I didn't mean to kiss him... it just sorta happened."

"Was your libido just _uncontrollable_?"

Hiei glared. "It was nothing like that."

"Really, now?"

"He was crying."

"Crying because you kissed him? Jeez, Hiei... it must've been pretty bad... what, have you never kissed anyone before?!"

"That's beside the point!"

"No it isn't... ha ha! That means you _just_ had your first kiss! Ha ha!"

"Shut up," Hiei growled. "It's not a good thing."

"What, were you saving yourself for someone even more special than Shuuichi Minamino?"

"Yuusuke, you are even more of an idiot than Kuwabara."

"I heard my name..." Kuwabara, who had been sitting next to the two of them the whole time, said.

"_I_ didn't hear your name," Hiei said. "And neither did Yuusuke."

"He's right, I didn't hear anything."

"But you said my name! I know you did!" Kuwabara said pleadingly.

"I didn't say your name," Hiei said evasively. "You must be schizophrenic."

"Ahh! My poor mind..." Kuwabara mumbled.

Hiei covered his mouth to keep from laughing. It was a mean trick... gwa ha ha! He turned back to Yuusuke. "Meanwhile, I doubt Shuuichi will ever want to see me again."

"Aww, poor Hiei," Yuusuke murmured, patting him 'soothingly' on the back. "Don't be so sad, they'll probably make you do group therapy with Yomi now... and although he's really ugly, it's really great to make fun of him..." Yuusuke grinned.

"So I suppose you do group therapy with him?"

"Of course. You start out with Shuuichi, and after a while you go to Yomi... the government's way of saving money. Hire a student and a group therapist..."

"How long have you _been_ here?"

"A year and a half."

"What'd you _do_?"

"Beat up a teacher."

"Really?"

"...Assaulted a police officer."

"Ne?"

"...robbed a bank..."

"What?!"

Yuusuke grinned. "OK, so maybe not that last one... I just beat a couple people up really badly. Broke their ribs... legs... arms... there was lots of blood."

Hiei inched away.

"Hey, it's nothing!" Yuusuke said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "I was just really mad, you know."

"You're a psycho, aren't you?"

Yuusuke shrugged. "Maybe. Besides, we're supposed to be talking about _you_, not me. After all, your kisses make Minamino cry."

Hiei glared venomously at Yuusuke; the other boy just smiled brightly. "Such a moron..." Hiei muttered, exasperated.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

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There was a knock at the door. Hiei stared at it, trying to use his Uber-Spiffy X-Ray Vision™ to see who it was. There was more knocking, and sadly, Hiei's superhuman powers still weren't working. He got up and opened the door.

"Shuuichi?!" he asked, shocked. He gaped up at the redhead for a moment before recovering. "I... erm... didn't expect you'd come to see me after yesterday..." A Bad Thought suddenly entered Hiei's mind. No, not a perverted Bad Thought, but a Bad Thought like 'maybe Shuuichi is here to see Yuusuke or Kuwabara and I've just made even more of a fool of myself' or maybe an 'OH KAMI, HE'S COME HERE TO BEAT ME UP AND STEAL MY SHOES!' thought. Hiei's now-frightened eyes studied Shuuichi's face intently. He was prepared to run away as fast as he could if the redhead showed even the slightest sign of anger. Thankfully, though, Shuuichi didn't seem the least bit cross—in fact, Shuuichi looked better than Hiei had ever seen him. He was... smiling brightly... ooh!

"Hello, Hiei. I need to talk to you about what happened yesterday..." Shuuichi trailed off, flashing Hiei a brilliant, beautiful smile. Hiei could almost feel himself melting into a puddle of Shuuichi-induced goo. No! He must be strong! "Would you... walk with me?"

Oh. Hiei had figured out Shuuichi's plan! He would lure him away from the witnesses... and then he would attack him viciously with a Sharpie and give him a poisoned lollipop and dump his body in a cornfield! He would end up like Johnny Depp's ex-wife in Secret Window! Noooooooo!

Then again, Hiei couldn't refuse Shuuichi... not when he was smiling like that... it seemed like a _real_ smile, too... his traitorous feet walked toward Shuuichi. "Sure," Hiei's Benedict Arnold-esque mouth whispered. And pretty soon Hiei found himself unwillingly following wherever Shuuichi was leading him...

Shuuichi plopped down in the grass; Hiei took a spot next to him, staring around them. They were next to the basketball court, where several boys were beating each other up while randomly throwing a ball around. Hiei glanced at the redhead, who was absent-mindedly pulling tufts of grass from the ground and examining them. Hiei decided not to ask.

Shuuichi gave Hiei a sideways glance, letting the grasses drop through his fingers and to the ground. "About yesterday... I'm sorry I was so weird. I don't do that often, I've just been having a tough time lately... and I'm sorry if I freaked you out or anything."

Was Shuuichi going to avoid the subject of the kiss completely? Or was he trying to suggest that the reason Hiei kissed him was because of something Shuuichi had done? If so, then... that was just messed up. "I didn't kiss you because I was freaked out, if that's what you're getting at."

"Oh," Shuuichi murmured, sounding a little surprised. "Why, then?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Like I said yesterday, because I love you."

"How can you love me when you barely know me?"

"Because Yuusuke says so."

"You're listening to Yuusuke now?"

"No."

"Oh. I'm glad," Shuuichi said, relieved.

"But really... Shuuichi, I'm happy when you're happy and it hurts me when you're sad. What else could it be?"

"Friendship?"

"You said it yourself; I don't know you that well. Feelings like that only develop from very _close_ friendships..."

"But you _can't_ love me. You just can't."

Hiei sighed. "I can't help the way I feel, Shuuichi. Just like you can't help the way you feel about your mother... and Karasu... and everybody else."

Shuuichi sighed. "You're right. I can't blame you for feeling that way and if I tried to make your feelings out to be something else, I'd just be mocking you."

"Wow, Shuuichi! Your psychology skills are improving!"

Shuuichi giggled softly. "I'm glad you think so, Hiei." He smiled. "In that case, would you like to keep seeing me once a week?"

Hiei shrugged. "I won't be coming for the therapy. It'll be because I want to see you, to talk to you."

"That's all right," Shuuichi mumbled, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"What happened to make you so happy?"

"Karasu and I officially broke up this morning."

"And that makes you really, really happy?"

"Well, I dunno... I'm glad it's over and I'm glad Karasu doesn't hate me... all the others hated me after we broke up. And, well... it's just great to have the weight off my shoulders. I mean, I yelled at my mommy and I dumped Karasu and... I talked to you! So I'm just happy!"

"It's nice to see you happy for a change."

"Yeah, well you came at a bad time. I'm not _usually_ as depressed and angsty as I've been lately."

Hiei felt a big, idiotic smile wash over his face. Even if his love for Shuuichi might fade in time... he was indescribably happy _now_. And sometimes, the present is all that matters.

"So, Shuuichi... how do you feel about _me_?" Hiei asked. He wouldn't fear Shuuichi's answer. The truth was the truth and he'd deal with it.

"Hiei, you... you're a sweet kid," Shuuichi murmured, ruffling his hair.

"Just a kid?"

"I think so," Shuuichi mumbled, sounding apologetic.

"Well, that's OK, then. I can deal with it."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Hiei answered. His eyes widened in shock when Shuuichi slipped warm arms around him.

"Thanks, Hiei. You're the greatest."

Hiei glowed. Shuuichi pulled back. "Sooo, what are you going to do when you get out of here?" he asked conversationally.

"Well, I'm going to take care of my sister and my mother... and finish high school... and go to college. And then I'm going to come here and TAKE YOUR JOB! BWA HA HA HA HA!"

Shuuichi sweat-dropped. "I hope I'm not working here when _you're_ in college, Hiei. I mean, I'll be almost twenty-five... and still working for the government... eww."

"...we have a big age gap, don't we?" Hiei asked.

"Four years."

"Jeez! Our relationship could never work out anyway."

"I don't see why not. Karasu was forty-seven and we had a pretty good relationship for at least a year..."

Hiei hyperventilated. "_WHAT_?!"

Shuuichi giggled, patting Hiei on the back playfully. "I'm kidding, silly. Karasu is only twenty-three. Jeez, my _dad_ is probably forty-seven..."

"You are _evil_..." Hiei said, gasping. "I mean, it's bad enough that I'm in love with a gold digger, but... oh, Kami-sama... I was beginning to think you were like those chicks on soap operas!"

"You're so silly!"

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"So, how'd it go with Shuuichi?"

"Well, he's happy."

"That's good. Did you kiss him again?"

"No."

"Then that must be why he's happy."

Hiei glared venomously at Yuusuke, tossing a pillow at his head. Yuusuke ducked and it hit Kuwabara instead. "Ow! Don't start throwing stuff again!"

"But anyway, what was he saying?"

"He's OK with my feelings, but he just thinks of me as a little kid."

"So he rejected you?"

"I guess so."

"You upset about it?" Yuusuke asked, concerned.

Hiei shook his head. "It was more than I had hoped for, actually. He said I could keep going to see him... and then he said mean things and I hyperventilated."

"Oh. Wow. Well, it sounds like the two of you had fun, at least..."

"Oh, hey, shrimp!" Kuwabara said, as if suddenly remembering something.

"What?"

"Your sister had her operation today!"

"_What_? Already? ...wow. So, do you know how it went?"

"Well, Shizuru said she's fine."

Hiei smiled. "I'm glad."

"So, can I go out with her when she's better? Huh, can I?"

Hiei glared. "It's up to _her_, you idiot."

"You mean you're not against it?" Kuwabara asked happily.

"Oh, I'm against it. But really, it isn't my decision."

"Yay! Thank you, Hiei!"

"Hug me and you die."

Kuwabara rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. As soon as I get out of here, I'm hugging your sister! Hell yeah!"

Yuusuke wisely bashed him over the head with a large, blunt object. Kuwabara was unconscious for several hours.

"Thanks, Yuusuke."

Yuusuke grinned. "It's nothing, really."

Finished on 10/24/04

Beta-ed by nobody because I'm behind as it is... --;; Must post quickly!

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Erm, all reviews are loved and cherished!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Codependency**

**Chapter Seven**

Shuuichi surveyed his new apartment; it was fairly nice, he noticed, especially as cheap as it had come... he wondered why, but he was too tired to think on the subject. He flopped tiredly into his bed, abandoning his suitcase and boxes for another time. They could wait for when he wasn't so tired...

Loud music blasted from the ceiling. Shuuichi's eyes snapped open; he glanced at his clock. He had only been asleep for five minutes... "Eurgh," he muttered, sitting up in bed; he rubbed at his eyes.

He soon realized that the music coming from the floor above was 80's pop music and that it wasn't going to stop playing any time soon. He angrily stomped out of his room, fully prepared to stomp upstairs and yell at whoever it was.

He ascended the winding staircase, easily locating the source of the noise. He saw a crowd of people in front of the door; they were yelling and shouting, but of course, the people inside couldn't hear.

Shuuichi sighed angrily. He _really_ needed sleep... he had classes tomorrow... He watched as the landlord came up the stairs, led by a black-haired woman who was fussing about random things.

"Always playing their music so loud! It never stops!"

"Yes, yes," the landlord muttered distractedly, parting the crowd to bang on the door. When no one answered, he unlocked the door and barged in, yelling. The crowd of people flooded into the room.

Shuuichi, however, was rooted to the spot. He and the raven-haired woman stared at each other. She huffed, looking away.

Shuuichi gave a tired, melancholy exhalation. "I'm sorry for yelling the other day... but I meant the things I said."

"I know," Shiori answered.

"Are you going to blame me for the way I feel?"

"I don't have the right to, Shuuichi."

"But you still _are_."

"Hmph. Don't accuse me, Shuuichi. You did enough of that the other day."

Shuuichi glared. "Fine; I need to sleep anyway. You'll be sure to have a nice life without me weighing you down, ne?" He turned and tromped back down the stairs and to his room. He flumped dispiritedly into bed, but for the life of him, he couldn't sleep.

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"Heeeeeeeeey Shuu-chan!"

"Hello, Yomi..." Shuuichi muttered.

"Wow, Shuu... you sound tired."

"That's because I am."

"Are your eyes all bloodshot?" Yomi asked, as if he was imagining Shuuichi in his head.

"Probably."

"I hate it when that happens... so, why are you so tired?"

"Long night..."

"With who?"

Shuuichi glared. "I was by myself, you perverted idiot."

"Oh, don't be so touchy. You girly men are always overreacting..."

"Just remember, Yomi. You're blind and if you make me too angry, I might decide to push you in front of a car. You know, like Tohma."

"...I wish Tohma Seguchi was real..." Yomi murmured, smiling giddily. Shuuichi rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to be listening to several children whine about their lives?" Shuuichi reminded.

"Oh! Right!" Yomi cried. "Pete, my seeing eye parrot, will lead me to my destination! Gwa ha ha!"

"...that guy went crazy after I dumped him..." Shuuichi murmured, kneading his forehead with his knuckles. He could feel the lack-of-sleep headache beating against his skull...

"Minamino!"

"...hello, Yuusuke."

"Are you dead?" Yuusuke asked, peering at him. "You don't look nearly as... super model-esque today."

"Then what _do_ I look like?"

Yuusuke studied him thoughtfully. "...A disheveled drag queen."

"Thank you, Yuusuke. That's very kind of you."

"Oh, don't go all tongue-in-cheek on me now! I need to ask your advice on something..."

"Yuusuke, now isn't exactly a good time..."

"Well, this morning I woke up and I had green hair. Except I didn't really have green hair, because I was really asleep and I just thought I was awake," Yuusuke said, ignoring what Shuuichi had said.

"Seriously, Yuusuke, I hardly got any sleep last night..."

"I was still dreaming, right, and so I was walking through these fields... you know, like the ones in cartoons, all funny-colored... and suddenly I WAS ATTACKED BY LEPRECHAUNS!"

"I'm really... about to collapse... from lack of sleep..."

"And the leprechauns kidnapped me and took me to their laboratory! They performed a ton of experiments on me! One of them was named Shigure and he tried to give me a third eyeball! Hey, Shuuichi! Shuuichi?" He stared where the redhead had fallen on the floor. "KAMI-SAMA! SHUUICHI! SHUUICHI, ARE YOU OK?!"

Yuusuke dropped to his knees beside Shuuichi. "DON'T GO TOWARD THE LIGHT, SHUUICHI... oh, wait... he's just asleep." Yuusuke sweat-dropped. "He fell asleep during my story! ...the big meanie!" Yuusuke stomped off angrily.

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Hiei had been wandering down the halls nonchalantly, minding his own business, when he was practically run over by someone. No, it wasn't Shuuichi (as is custom), but a woman with black hair. "Ahhh!" Hiei yelled, as he was knocked to the floor.

The woman gasped, collapsing on the floor beside Hiei. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!" the woman said in honeyed tones, helping him up and generally fussing over him. "I was in such a hurry... are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Hiei said quickly as she pulled him to his feet.

"Oh, well no wonder I didn't see you! You're so little..."

Hiei fought the urge to glare.

"Aww, you're adorable!"

Hiei succumbed to his urges and glowered darkly at the woman.

"Tee-hee, you're the cutest thing I've ever seen!" She glomped him fiercely.

Hiei growled dangerously. Inside his head, he was screaming, "ASSAULT! ASSAULT!" and, "Save me! Save me from the scary hugging lady!"

A sleepy Shuuichi stumbled down the hall. Hiei stared pleadingly at the redhead, who didn't seem to notice. "Shuuichi!" he cried in desperation.

Shuuichi's head snapped up at Hiei's voice; Shiori let go of Hiei and stepped forward. An 'Oh Kami, she's stalking me!' look crossed Shuuichi's face before he was able to halt its progress across his features. "What are you doing here?" Shuuichi asked softly.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"You _do_ realize that it didn't work before, don't you?"

Shiori shrugged nonchalantly. Hiei's gaze flicked back and forth between the two. "I'll keep talking for as long as I have to."

Shuuichi's eyes narrowed. "Then why were you such a bitch earlier?"

Shiori tried to hide her shock by coughing into her hand. "One does not call their mother that." Hiei gasped, feeling the little Volkswagen Beetle (symbolic of Hiei's mind) crash into a brick wall (symbolic of the Shiori-is-Shuuichi's-mommy thingy).

"You're not my mother," Shuuichi spat, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away.

"Yes I am."

"No, you're not."

"What, are you so angry that you're denying that I gave birth to you?!" Shiori asked angrily.

"That's not what I'm talking about. I mean 'mother' in the sense of someone who is nurturing and provides warmth and love..."

"What made _you_ so sentimental all of a sudden?"

"You don't deny it?"

"I can't. The things you say are true."

'Oh! Score one for Shuuichi!', Hiei's mind said.

"So then do you really have any reason to be here? You've said all you can say, haven't you?" Shuuichi asked coldly.

Shiori shook her head, a slight smile crossing her lips. "No. Shuuichi, what I wanted to say is... despite everything that's happened, I love you. I love you with all my heart and I wish I hadn't hurt you so much."

Shuuichi sighed. "I love you too, you know. I just... can't stand you."

A sparkly pink question mark appeared above Hiei's hair. 'What's going on?' he puzzled, but didn't dare ask aloud. He didn't think he was supposed to be watching this—it would be best not to draw attention to himself.

"Just _seeing_ you hurts me, mother. Hearing your voice... it makes me _remember_... and I just don't want to."

Shuuichi stared at the floor, refusing to speak.

"I know it's not your fault for having an addiction. Addiction is hereditary, after all. But I _do_ blame you for letting it ruin our lives for fifteen years. And because you screwed up my life, I can't take pity on you. You've had a rough life, I know. Getting yelled at and beaten isn't fun. But still, I can't feel sorry for you."

Shiori shrugged nonchalantly. "You think it bothers me?"

"Yeah."

"And why?"

"Everything _else_ I do bothers you. Why not this?"

She glared. "I'm lying, you idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot."

"You called me a bitch."

"So. You deserved it."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

Hiei growled. Why did _he_ always have to fix things? "Stop arguing like little children!"

The two glanced at Hiei. Apparently they had forgotten about him. "Oh, hello, Hiei," Shuuichi said merrily, waving. "How long have you been there?"

"The whole time."

"Oh, I see. Well, uhh..."

"Stop acting like a five-year old."

"Ne?"

"If the two of you are going to yell at each other, at least be more mature about it. You know, act like you're having a... discussion. Or something."

"Mou?"

"You know, like when adults argue with each other and pretend that they're not?"

"Oh. All right," Shuuichi said, smiling brightly and wrapping an arm around Shiori's shoulders.

"Yes. See? We're behaving now," Shiori declared happily.

Hiei narrowed his eyes. After a moment, he replied, "Good," and walked off.

Shuuichi and Shiori broke apart as soon as Hiei was gone. "That kid is adorable... but he's so very odd," Shiori remarked.

Shuuichi managed a slight grin. "I agree."

"I think he might be smarter than the both of us combined, though."

Shuuichi sweat-dropped. "It's quite possible and highly likely."

"...truce?"

"Oh, why not? After all, yelling won't solve anything. In fact, it would probably attract Hiei's attention and then he'd come back and insult our intelligence some more..."

Shiori gave him a brilliant smile, seeing through his excuse. "Thanks, Shuuichi," she murmured, reaching forward to hug him, "I really appreciate it." She drew back. "I love you, Shuu-chan."

Shuuichi stared nervously around, wondering how he should respond. "It's OK, Shuuichi. You don't have to say anything."

"Oh. OK. Thanks," he replied gratefully.

"Well, I... I guess I'll be going now," Shiori said, turning to leave.

"Wait," Shuuichi mumbled feebly, trying to steel his already weakening resolve. "Would you... erm... like to eat dinner with me tonight? I mean, seeing as how we live in the same building and everything..."

"Sure."

"Seven OK?"

"Certainly."

"Well, umm... bye," he said, watching her go. "...Kami help me."

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Every few days, Hiei was allowed to make a phone call. He hadn't used the privilege as of late, but today he made an exception.

"Hello," he said nervously into the receiver.

"Hiei!" came the cheerful voice from the other end. "How are you? Are you doing well?"

"Me? I'm just as good as always. But how about you? Did your operation go well?" Hiei asked, concerned.

"I'm quite well. They say I'll be able to leave the hospital at the end of the week."

"Really? That's great!"

"And I'll be able to go back to school soon after that. Maybe I can make up all the work I've missed," Yukina mumbled hopefully.

"Don't overtax yourself, Yukina. Your health is more important than making up schoolwork."

"I guess so. But still, I don't want to have to repeat a grade."

Hiei sighed. Yukina was always such a disciplined student. "Yukinaaaaa..."

"Ne?"

"I'm glad you're OK."

"Aww, Hiei... I love you."

"Yeah, I know," Hiei said. He could practically hear Yukina pouting. "All right, I love you too."

"Yay!" Yukina cried happily.

Hiei sweat-dropped.

"So, when will you be able to come home?"

"Soon. After all, I only got six months."

"It seems like such a long time, though."

"I know. But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

"Oh, and Hiei? Who is Kuwabara?"

Hiei blanched. "One of my idiotic roommates."

"Well, his sister said that Kuwabara paid for my operation."

"Yes, he did."

"Why?" Yukina asked, sounding puzzled.

"Emm... because you're my 'hot sister' and you're not allowed to die."

"Oh. Well, erm..." Yukina mumbled, embarrassed.

"He's not as perverted as he sounds. He's just a moron."

"Oh."

Hiei felt someone tapping his shoulder; he looked up, to see Porky (see chapter one). "Your time's up, sonny!" the fat man declared, glaring threateningly at Hiei.

"Sorry, Yukina, but I have to go..."

"Oh. Well, ja ne!"

"Ja—," Hiei began, but Porky had snatched the phone from him and slammed it down on the hook. Hiei glared at him. Porky glared back.

"It's time you were heading back to your room, sonny."

"Don't call me that!" Hiei said angrily.

"Neeh."

Hiei growled and stalked back to his room.

"Did she ask about me? Did she?" Kuwabara asked, as soon as Hiei had come in the door.

"Yes. I told her you were an idiot."

"HIEI!" Kuwabara yelled. "That's mean!"

"Oh, go tell it to the security guards, why don't you?"

"Well, maybe I will!" Kuwabara said haughtily, marching out.

"How much you wanna bet he's going to go pout in the women's bathroom?" Yuusuke asked, eyes glinting with mirth.

"Funny, Yuusuke. Unfortunately for you, though, I'm not enough of a moron to bet against that."

Yuusuke growled. "I hate people who aren't idiotic."

Hiei rolled his eyes.

Finished on 11/07/04

Not even beta-ed by the voices in my head

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AN: Oh dear, I'm a week late... **dies** Anyway, if this has any glaringly obvious mistakes... DEAL WITH THEM! MWAHAHAH! I'm trying to get the chapter out as soon as I can. Mou.

Meanwhile, only one more chapter! I'm glad... woo. Well, I'm really sorry it took so long! Thanks to all the reviewers and I hope y'all review again!

(I love my itooshi.)


	8. Chapter Eight

**Codependency**

**Chapter Eight**

AN: I present… the chapter that refused to be written—the **last chapter**. Surprised? If you read the notes, you shouldn't be… anyway, this is the end. Neee.

It was cold and damp outside; the bank thermometer that they had passed on the way there had read thirty degrees Fahrenheit. Hiei shivered in his black suit. He really tried to pay attention as the man in front of them read the eulogy, but his mind kept drifting.

He felt a tugging on his sleeve. "Hiei," Yukina hissed, peering up at him through her black veil.

"Ne?" Hiei asked, distracted.

"You need to go up and say something!"

"Oh," Hiei mumbled, feeling his legs walk mechanically to the front. "Right."

Yukina stared at Hiei, wondering what he'd say. "Jaganshi Hina was my mother," he began. "I… I lived with her for sixteen years and… I never got to know her." Hiei took a rattling breath. "She got sick when I was eight and she never recovered. Her health only went downhill after that, and now… she's dead." He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but found he couldn't; a tear trickled down his cheek. "Sorry," he choked out. He could dimly see his mother's old friends through his tears. "I… I can't," he mumbled apologetically, stepping down and going to stand beside Yukina again. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's OK, Hiei… it's gonna be all right…"

"I know… but it hurts!" Hiei muttered, feeling the tears trickling down his face.

Yukina wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. "Shh, Hiei… we'll be just fine, you'll see."

Hiei pulled away, brushing the tears from his eyes. "You're right," he said, sniffing. He grasped his sister's hand and the two faced forward to watch the rest of the service.

"Hiei… I have to go home," Yukina sniffed, as soon as it was over. Silent tears streaked down her cheeks. "It hurts too much…"

"I'll take you," Hiei offered.

"No, that's all right. You haven't finished paying your respects, have you? Kuwabara said he would take me home," she said, pointing to where the carrot top was standing in the crowd.

"All right…" He mumbled, watching as she left.

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Hiei watched as the coffin was lowered. "Goodbye, mother," he whispered, turning to leave.

"Hiei," came a voice from behind him.

He spun around, feeling his heart rate escalate. "Shuuichi?"

"I read about your mother in the obituaries… I'm sorry," the redhead mumbled, staring at the ground.

"Why? It's not like it's your fault or anything. I knew she'd die soon."

"Hiei, it's all right to cry."

"Yeah, I know. I've been doing it all morning."

"Oh."

"Everyone knew she would die. She was in so much pain at the end… it's better this way."

"But it hurts?"

"Well, it's supposed to hurt. If it didn't hurt, I'd be _one_ cold bastard, wouldn't I?"

"Oh, Hiei…" Shuuichi leaned forward, pulling the younger boy into his arms. "You don't have to be strong _all_ the time."

Hiei gasped in surprise, but slowly wrapped his arms around Shuuichi. He felt the tears pricking in his eyes, coming to fall on the redhead's shoulder. "I… I miss her… a lot." Hiei sniffled quietly until he couldn't anymore, and then pulled away from Shuuichi, wiping his eyes.

"So…"

"Here, let's sit here," he mumbled, walking over to a bench and sitting on it. Shuuichi plopped down next to him, pulling his coat tighter around him. "Well, I… I'm graduating this year."

"Still planning on taking my job?"

"Yes. And I'm going to be a better psychologist than you, so that I can point and laugh at you."

"That's not very nice," Shuuichi said.

"Maybe not, but you gotta admit it's pretty funny…" Hiei's expression changed to a somber one. "So… how are you and _your_ mother?"

Shuuichi looked away. "She started drinking again about three months ago. She's back in rehab now."

"But I thought that you two had patched things up…" Hiei mumbled, staring pointedly at the redhead.

"We _had_, but… well, mom screwed up again. In my heart, I knew it would end like this, but… I _wanted_ to believe she would be OK."

"I'm sorry, Shuuichi," Hiei whispered.

"Oh, I expected it. I'm not stupid; I just act like it sometimes. Anyways, I wasn't too sad. I was just angry… so angry."

"Well, you _are_ a redhead. It's expected of you."

"Maybe. It's just that… I was tired of the cycle. So I broke it. She'll never bother me again."

"But doesn't it hurt?"

"A little, but it's worth it to not have to go through the pain," Shuuichi mumbled, staring into the distance.

"Do you really believe that?" Hiei asked.

Shuuichi shrugged. Hiei shivered. "Here," Shuuichi said, taking off his coat and scooting closer to Hiei in order to cover the both of them with it.

"Lately, I've been thinking about leaving Tokyo… I need to go somewhere else… where Shiori can't find me."

Hiei sighed. "Don't be a coward, Shuuichi. Running away won't solve anything. And besides, you said that she wouldn't bother you anymore?"

"I can say that, but… she's like a smacked puppy. No matter what I do, she'll always come back… as long as she can find me."

"Shuuichi… don't leave… please."

The redhead turned to him. "Why not?"

"…I'd miss you… I haven't thought about you too much this past year, what with my mom being so sick all the time, but… I still love you just as much as I always did."

"Hiei… you know that a relationship would never work out for us."

"Why not? I mean… you don't love me, but if you did, it could work, couldn't it?"

"My relationships always fail, Hiei. I don't know how much more heartbreak I can take…"

"What the hell has happened to you?" Hiei asked quietly. "The last time I saw you, you were so happy… what happened to change you so much?"

"I don't know. I just don't know…"

"I wish you weren't so screwed up and unhappy all the time," Hiei mumbled.

"I deal with it. Every day. And I must be doing pretty good, considering I haven't attempted suicide or taken up cutting… or anything icky and messy like that."

"But Shuuichi…" Hiei mumbled.

"Ne?"

"I want you to be _happy_."

"I will be one day," Shuuichi said, smiling.

"_I_ want to make you happy."

Shuuichi wrapped an arm around Hiei. "Sweet of you."

"But… Shuuichi…"

"Aw, Hi-chan… don't worry. I'll be fine, you'll be fine… we'll all be OK in the end. It's the way the world works. Life screws you for a little while, but then things get fixed in the end."

"…Mou," Hiei mumbled, latching on to Shuuichi's waist. "I love you…"

Shuuichi smiled sadly, patting the top of Hiei's head.

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"Hey, Shuu? Shuu!" Hiei called, wandering through the house.

"Ne?" Shuuichi asked, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Aah! Don't do that, Shuuichi!" Hiei cried. "Where were you?"

"Me? I was under my bed, reading yaoi doujinshi."

"Really?" Hiei asked, tilting his head to the side.

"No. I was just looking for something in my closet… there are a lot of interesting things in there, you know."

"Oh," Hiei said, sounding slightly put out. "Well, anyway… I was wondering if I could borrow your history notes… the final is coming up soon."

"Oh. Right. I probably have them around here somewhere," Shuuichi muttered, retreating to his room. He plopped down on the floor, crawling under his bed. Hiei sat as well, peering into the dark depths of the space under the bed. "Let's see… Gravitation manga, doodles from philosophy class, random weird stories I wrote about gay people when I was twelve… ah! Notes!" Shuuichi declared, and Hiei had to duck to avoid being knocked out by a speeding binder.

"Wow… that's a lot of history notes."

Shuuichi grinned. "Four years' worth. I figured I'd sell them on E-bay to some stupid kid who likes cheating, but I guess I forgot to… eh heh." He handed them to Hiei.

"Thanks. I guess I'd better start studying, then…" Hiei made his way to the living room.

"Need any help?" Shuuichi asked.

"Emm… if you're not busy."

"I'm not. After all, unlike you, I'm doing well in college!" Shuuichi said, grinning cheekily.

"Hmph. At least I'm a good psychologist."

Shuuichi stuck his tongue out playfully. "Well, you have low standardized test scores!"

"You're supposed to be helping me, not making fun of me."

"Oh. Right! Well… what class do you have now?"

"Ancient history."

"Ah! That was a fun class. Well, it's just memorizing facts, isn't it? Is there anything you have trouble with?"

"I have bad study skills."

"Yeah, well… 'tis a little late to be correcting that. Just make flashcards for the tough stuff."

"Flashcards? That's _so_ ninth grade…"

"You're an idiot sometimes, Hiei."

"You're an idiot all the time, Shuuichi."

Shuuichi's eyes narrowed. "I set myself up for that, didn't I?"

"Yeah."

"Hmph. I'm going to go read my doujinshi, then."

"But you said you didn't have any!"

"Meh," Shuuichi said, walking to his room.

"That's mean, Shuuichi. You should share."

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"I'm so tired…" Hiei mumbled, collapsing on the sofa next to Shuuichi. "Been studying all day long…"

"I'm sorry," Shuuichi said mock-apologetically.

"Meh. Whose turn is it to cook supper again?"

"Yours," Shuuichi declared. Hiei groaned. "Luckily for you, I ordered pizza a little while ago. It's supposed to be here in thirty minutes, but it probably won't actually get here for another two hours…"

"All right," Hiei said, stretching out on the couch. "What's on the idiot box?"

Shuuichi picked up the remote and flicked the power button. "Whose Line… Pokemon… Queen of the Damned…"

"That was such a creepy movie," Hiei shuddered.

Shuuichi nodded in agreement. "Interview with the Vampire was good, though… Lestat and Louie rolling around on the ground… that was great!"

Hiei sighed, shaking his head at Shuuichi. He glanced at the screen. "No, Shuuichi. We are _not _watching Cops."

"Oh, why not?"

"PORKY! MEMORIES OF PORKY!"

"That's because you're a _bad boy_."

Hiei glared and tackled Shuuichi.

"Hello," Shuuichi said sweetly, waving.

Hiei stole the remote.

"You're no fun, Hiei."

"Hn. If you don't start being nice, I'll make you watch a documentary on conservative speeches."

"You're a cruel person, Hiei."

Hiei shrugged. "…Reality TV… that's what's wrong with the world today," Hiei said, as he found nothing to watch.

"You know… they should make a gay Bachelor show… I might watch that."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "_You'd_ probably sign up for it."

"Of course I wouldn't do that, Hiei! I have you!"

Hiei pushed the power button and threw the remote across the room, where it slammed against the wall and sank to the floor.

"Aww, poor Hi-chan." Shuuichi pulled Hiei's head into his lap, running fingers through his hair. "Your hair is very large," he remarked.

"Hey, Shuuichi?"

"Ne?"

"…are we together?" Hiei asked uncertainly.

Shuuichi's fingers stilled as he thought. The redhead bit his lip. "I dunno… we live together… and there have been moments… what do you think?"

"Well, _you_ know how _I_ feel."

"We'll figure it out sooner or later, I guess." The doorbell rang. "In the meantime, our pizza is here."

Hiei looked up at Shuuichi put the box on the table. "What'd you get?"

"Garbage."

"Huh?"

"Supreme."

"Oh. All right." Hiei opened the box and grabbed a piece. He watched as Shuuichi picked all the meat off of his slice before taking a bite. "…if you didn't like meat, why'd you order a supreme?"

"Because _you_ like that kind, silly!"

"Aww, you're nice sometimes!"

Shuuichi narrowed his eyes. "Only some of the time. Don't start getting _ideas_."

"Oh, I won't."

"Tee-hee… I have fun when I'm with you, Hiei!"

"Yeah… OK."

"But doesn't that make you happy?"

"Sure."

"Hiiiiiiiiiii-chan…"

"Ne?"

"Happy Saturday!" Shuuichi yelled, glomping Hiei.

Hiei sweat-dropped. "What did I tell you about eating sugary cereal?"

"…I haven't been eating sugary cereal. The last time I ate cereal was nine days ago, and it was the nasty, healthy kind with no carbs or sugar or taste…" Shuuichi said, pouting.

"Oh. Then what's wrong with you? Did you make brownies again and 'forget' to let me have any?"

"No! I'm just happy! See, happy," Shuuichi said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Being happy makes you act like an idiot?"

Shuuichi nodded. "The only time I act smart is when I'm depressed!"

"Heh. No wonder your IQ dropped ten points after I moved in with you."

Shuuichi glared. "Idiot." He smacked Hiei over the head with a throwpillow.

"Hn."

"By the way, how are Kuwabara and Yukina-chan?" Shuuichi asked, out of the blue.

"Well, Yukina had to repeat a grade because of all the school she missed while she was sick… but they say they'll get married after college."

"Aww, poor Hiei. Does that make you sad?"

Hiei shrugged. "Not really. As long as they love eachother… it's fine with me," Hiei said grudgingly. "I mean, if Yukina is happy, I can't argue with it."

"You're so cute, Hiei. You pretend you're tough, but you're really just a… small, gooey, black-haired marshmallow."

"Yeah, well… marshmallows can be very deadly!"

"You know, Hiei… I think we _will_ be together someday," Shuuichi mused, staring into space.

"Really?" Hiei asked, trying _not_ to sound happy and excited. He was failing miserably.

"Yeah… I mean… well, I can be myself around you… and I feel happy just being near you… and you're just such a cute little uke!" Shuuichi yelled, pulling Hiei into his arms and giving him a noogie.

"Uke? UKE?! What makes you think you'd be the seme, huh? You're just a little girly boy, you know! You couldn't dominate anyone!"

Shuuichi smiled evilly. "Hi-chan… you're pathetically short compared to me, you know."

"Size doesn't matter!" Hiei cried. "And besides, I haven't finished growing yet!"

Shuuichi rolled him eyes. "I have more experience," he pointed out.

"So!"

"And prowess."

"You don't know that!"

"It doesn't really matter right now, Hiei. After all, I don't suppose we'll know for sure for quite some time…"

Hiei crossed his arms over his chest. "You are mean."

"Why, thank you."

"I would be better off being in love with Eiri Yuki."

"Well, he _is_ very pretty. Of course, he smokes and is mean to cute ukes… oh, and he coughs up blood."

"Or… Sesshoumaru."

"He would pick me over you any day."

"Maybe even… Strongbad!"

Shuuichi blinked. "All right, Hiei. If you have fantasies about Strongbad, it really isn't my business, but… let me remind you of a few things. First, he has no hands. Secondly, his face is a mask. And third… he's not even remotely gay."

"But… but what about Pom Pom?!"

"Homestar is the one who started that. If you've been listening to what he says, then you're an idiot."

"…"

Shuuichi yawned. "I think I'll go to bed now…" He stood up, stretching. "Night, sweet uke. Have pleasant dreams," he said sweetly, bending to kiss Hiei on the cheek. Shuuichi giggled and walked to his room, leaving a dazed Hiei on the couch.

Hiei finally left Shuuichi-land ten minutes later. His cheeks still felt hot as he went to his room. He sighed, staring at his blushing face in the mirror. "I love you too, Shuuichi," he said to no one, and climbed into his bed.

In his own room, Shuuichi continued to giggle at Hiei's expense.

Finished on 11/23/04

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AN: Wow, it's finally finished! I'm glad… mou. This chapter was just… very odd. I hope you weren't too confused by the scene changes, although I bet some of you were. In other news, Eiri Yuki belongs to Maki Murakami, Sesshoumaru is Rumiko Takahashi's, and Strongbad, Pom Pom, and Homestar belong to The Brothers Chaps (I strongly advise going to homestarrunner . com—remove the spaces—and watching Strongbad emails).

I will repeat: **the story is finished**. No more.

Oh, and to those of you who might have been wondering… this story has nothing to do with Codependency. It was itooshi's idea to call it that, and I figured that it was such a cool title that nobody would notice the fact that it didn't fit at all. --;;

Mou.

Oh, and to my die-hards fans (I laugh at the thought), the next fanfic will be a YGO one. BxR. Unfortunately, I'm going on an updating hiatus for a little while. I need a break. However, I'll still be writing. And if I do that, maybe I'll update on time. --;; you know, as opposed to two and a half weeks late. Heh heh.

Ja!


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